Different Paths
by RubyMoonz
Summary: When four souls became intertwined, their actions will forge a path of their own. Faced with consequences of choice, the sacrifice of duty, the ties of friendship, and finding your purpose, what challenges will they face and how will it change one of the many possible futures? [Please read AN at the end of the first chapter! Reuploading in Progress]
1. New Beginnings

_**If only you could see me yesterday**_  
><em><strong>Who I used to be before the change<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'd see a broken heart<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'd see the battle scars<strong>_  
><em><strong>Funny how words can't explain<strong>_  
><em><strong>How good it finally feels to break the chains<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm not what I have done;<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm what I've overcome<strong>_  
>-What I've Overcome by Fireflight<p>

* * *

><p>With a busted lip and bruises around her neck, it hadn't surprised the girl that the stares continued, even after she had gotten off the ship. Was it so much of a surprise when her body drifted closer to the young man that had taken her under his wing? Perhaps, if she were a bit younger, she might had grasped his hand for support.<p>

However, fourteen years of age gave her some sense of pride. That, in turn, gave her reason to simply stick by the man's side and keep her head held high. The more stares she received, the more firm her lips became.

She would not yield, not again.

Boarding a carriage that would take the both of them to Daath, she thanked Yulia that it was only going to be the two of them for this ride. While she dare not admit aloud, it had been exhausting to deal with all the gawkers and she wouldn't mind just a small break. Once the carriage door shut, her shoulders relaxed.

A sigh left her mouth.

No conversation were exchanged—the man sat there, his thoughts likely to be elsewhere. Finding no reason to bring up any topic to discuss at that moment, the girl flopped over onto the empty seat she occupied. Her hair was too short to get in the way, but that didn't mean she couldn't play with the strands.

The question came not too long after.

"What does lavender look like, Van?" Having grown up in Chesedonia up to this point, she hadn't seen the flower before.

"Why do you want to know?" His blue eyes were on her at this point.

She shrugged, sitting up slowly but still twisting a tuft of her hair. "They said my hair was like it, the color anyway. I've never seen one."

"Lavender is lighter than your hair, not as pale either. Though I suppose I could see why they would say as such. I would say that your hair might be more of a violet color." Van's answer was informative enough and that was that.

"Okay."

The silence stayed until they arrived at their destination. When the carriage stopped, Van was already opening the door. Though it sounded like a command, his tone was soft when he spoke to her. "Come Reyna."

And she did.

When her feet landed on the ground, her eyes wandered to and fro. A new setting in life, one so vastly different to her prior one. Reyna had grown up knowing only sand below her feet and the heat of living in a desert. This one contained green grass, shrubbery, and cool winds.

It nearly left her in awe.

"Reyna." Her attention laid briefly on Van before it turn toward the city. Her eyes slowly went up as she gazed at the large cathedral near the center. "Welcome to Daath."

Her mouth open, but no words came. Rendered speechless, the tears soon overwhelmed her and fell down her face. It was dumb to cry, especially when she was standing next to Van, but after everything, she hadn't had much of a reason to hope for a better life.

Yet, here she was. It was right here, right in front of her.

Wiping her eyes with the palm of her hand, she gave a nod. Van hadn't said anything to her, but he was nice enough to wait until she was ready before they began to walk. When they entered the city, her eyes wandered around more and more. They had different styles of clothing, more adapt to their climate, and their speech was different too. They almost sounded stuffy, if that were the right word. Formal, maybe?

Reyna took all of it in, the information she could pick up from this brief tour and stored it away for later use. Despite the fact that Chesedonia had been a melding pot for all sorts of cultures, Daath was on a different level.

This, she realized, was to be her new home and what a strange place it was.

.

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.

Some of the younger girls near her continued to talk, not caring if they were overheard at this particular moment.

"Master Evenos always prefers male Guardians. Don't you think that's unfair?"

"I think it's sexist. I mean, we have the Oracle Knights, so not many of guys train as Guardians either."

"You don't think…" Leaning forward, she, at least, had some sense to whisper the next part to her friend as they both giggled. To which Reyna had a good idea of what was being said about the current Fon Master.

Rolling her eyes, the girl, who had just turned fifteen not too long ago, continued to eat her meal. Personally, she had wanted to become an Oracle Knight, but Van suggested she go into training with the Guardians. Something along the lines that it would suit her well or whatever.

She regretted the decision for this precise reason.

Finishing, she stood and left the table. Only a few gave her nods of acknowledge while others continued to talk. Because of Master Evenos' preference for male Guardians, most of the girl trainees competed with each other so when they became full Guardians, they would have a chance to be picked by Master Evenos on the occasion he did choose a female Guardian. It was mind-boggling that they would rather put each other down rather than help each other rise up.

Or maybe that was just her new way of thinking these days.

Before, she might not have cared. It was the survivor of the fittest when it came to these kind of situations. Living on Chesedonia's streets had harden her, raised into someone who didn't care for other's well-beings. However, living in the Order for the past year, having a room, a bed, three square meals a day, it was nothing like Chesedonia. Why put yourself through all of this competition when you could use that strength to become better, not just as an individual, but as a whole?

That had been her new way of thinking as of late. When she didn't have to worry about where she would be sleeping that night or where her food would come from, then she found the sabotage and petty games pretty ridiculous.

Hence why after the first person had tried to get her into trouble, when Reyna fought back with such ferocity, showing that she wasn't a person to be messed with, her fellow trainees followed suit. Van told her if she had trouble, he could tell her and he would deal with it, but Reyna didn't and wouldn't need his help again.

She already owed him too much.

Sword training was going to begin soon, so she headed in the general direction of where the session would be held. Though, to be completely honest, it wasn't as serious as the name implicated. Yes, they did train with swords, but it was never for long and the rest of the times was used however they wished. The instructors didn't believe that Guardians needed as much training as, say, an Oracle Knight. If someone wanted to become better with a sword, then they found a training partner.

For those that didn't care about swordplay, they used the time to gossip, spreading around rumors. Most of it was trash and means of sabotaging someone's reputation, but there was a few times Reyna heard something of interest.

The rumor at the moment, at least with the Guardian trainees, was with the current Fon Master. His preference had led to her hearing many nasty things said about him. While many of the girls blamed the few males that joined, Reyna thought that if they actually showed some dedication and trained, the Fon Master might actually notice them.

Not that she thought the Guardians with the Fon Master were all that great, but he made his choices for himself.

"Reyna."

Stopping, she turned her head to see a fellow trainee walk toward her. If memory served her correctly, the other female's name was Iris. Two years her junior, she was one of the few that Reyna tolerated and probably the only one that took this as seriously as she did.

That didn't stop her from being blunt. "What do you want?"

"I want to discuss a proposition with you."

Interesting.

"And that is...?"

Arms crossed, the other gave her one glance over. Reyna could feel herself becoming agitated, but kept her composure. If this was some test, she wasn't going to let someone younger than her pressure her into a reaction. "You're more serious than the others. You know your strengths and play on them well enough to hide any weakness you have. You'll definitely become a Guardian."

"Get to the point." Reyna hated when people wasted their time leading up to wanting something from you.

"I see you becoming a leader, especially of the Guardians. I want to be there to support you."

This, she hadn't expected. Indicating for Iris to follow as she continued on to their lesson, Reyna took a moment before answering. "A bit young to be thinking that far ahead."

"Who's to say it'll be so far ahead?"

Inclining her head to the side, the elder of the two caught the other's gaze. "I can't expect to become Commander in a year or two. It'll take longer than that, especially with the current one."

"He's incompetent." Reyna couldn't argue with this. "He's not even a Guardian, just an Oracle Knight meant to watch over us."

"The others...?"

That actually got her a pointed look from Iris. "When have you ever cared what the others thought?"

Shaking her head and brushing off the statement, Reyna elaborated. "That's not what I meant. I can't certainly become a leader with just one follower. I'll need more and a backing to keep me going forward. I can't be promoted if I appear 'incompetent'."

"It'll be a start though, won't it? It's the thought that counts. You strive to become more than just a 'guardian', others will follow." Ha! What a smug smile this one wore. If they weren't so close to where others might hear or even see it, Reyna would have laughed. "Think about it."

"It'll be something to consider." That was her only reply as the entered the room.

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.

The best part about this was how taken back he appeared—that he couldn't believe she wanted him to become her sparring partner.

Iris had been watch the guy for a several weeks and mentioned that he would be a good person to practice with for her hand-to-hand combat training. That had been enough to interest her to check the guy out.

He was just a year older than her, would likely graduate in another year or two and she had no doubt he would become an Oracle Knight from there. The girl hadn't checked to see what his name was or any other personal information, but that hadn't been too important to her. Watching him from a distance for a few days herself, she noticed he was friendly, easygoing, and followed instructions without hesitation.

She also happen to watch him during sword practice and hand-to-hand combat. Iris hadn't lied; he was pretty good.

So, the idea came to approach him.

Reyna thought about a direct challenge, but opted to be more subtle about it. One evening, after dinner, she asked if she could talk to him in private, to which he agreed to and they set up a location and time.

An hour later, there they were. Before he could even ask her what she wanted, Reyna told him she wanted him to be her sparring partner.

And there they were, Reyna waiting for his reply while the brunet was still left stunned by her request.

"So?"

It took him another moment to gather himself. "Are you serious? I thought-"

She was quick to interrupt him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Why me, then?"

"Because you're good at hand-to-hand. I need someone to practice with and maybe, I'd like to move up to weapons." She raised her eyebrow at him, wondering if this had been a mistake. "That's it, basically."

His lips pursed, making her want to laugh at how ridiculous he looked. "You're...not training to be an Oracle Knight, are you? I don't remember seeing you in the classes."

"Guardian training, actually. Except it's..." There was a brief pause as Reyna considered this guy again. "...not exactly as serious as I'd like it to be."

He nodded in understanding, a pause following as he stared at her. Observing her, as she noted. It was when his eyes met hers that she realized something. "Alright then. We can do it in the mornings before classes start and after dinner, if that works."

He was a good person.

"It will. I...appreciate it."

And he smiled, that kind of friendly smile that she figured he gave everyone. It was no wonder he was one of the more popular trainees in the Oracle Knight program. "Sure. I'm Gerard, by the way."

"Reyna."

.

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.

"You notice anyone?" Reyna asked, adjusting her uniform. She hated the tabards they had to wear over the uniform, but she wasn't in the position to change it and complaining to Van about them seemed pointless. Her eyes going to her fellow Guardian, she inclined her head to the side. "There had to be some trainees that you noticed. You always do."

"A few, none of which I would approach at this moment. They're young and their training would take a few years. Though..."

"Though?"

A pause, as Iris adjusted her glasses. "One of the older trainees has potential. Her control over fonons is incredible. I also feel like she takes this seriously, more so than her fellow classmates."

"Check in on her, offer her tips if you can. Maybe we can even invite her to eat with us." Reyna mused over this as her roommate nodded at the instructions. "Also, how is Master Evenos?"

Sighing, the other shook her head. "Not good. I believe this illness may take his life soon. Maybe in a few months, if he's lucky."

"Then Ion will take over..." She mumbled, mostly to herself.

"We should go, though with how Master Evenos is, we'll likely to have another free day." Reyna could hear the agitation in her voice. Amused, she patted the other's back. "Stop that. You know I hate it when you treat me like a child."

The young woman actually laughed at this. "True, but you're only sixteen. Not quite an adult, but not a child either I suppose."

"We're going to be late."

"Don't change the subject!"

"I bet Gerard's waiting for you then." A smug look was on her face, to which Reyna just rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised how close you are to him. I thought surely after the training, you'd become indifferent toward him. Maybe even snub him to get the message through."

"I didn't do that to you, did I?" It wasn't a retort, just pointing out the obvious.

Shrugging, the sandy blonde moved toward the door. "I'm still useful to you. He isn't. I can't help but wonder if you are _fond_ of him."

Sometimes, Reyna felt irritation that everyone assumed they knew so much about her. Hadn't Van said the same to her on more than one occasion? It was becoming a sore spot, which led to people wondering if she _did_ have feelings for the man, which she didn't. It wasn't like that, but she would be lying if she said she didn't think good of him. Unknowingly, Gerard had wiggled his way into her life and at times, she felt it would be too much just to abandon this...friendship they had. Reyna had explained as much to Van, but he still didn't like it too much.

And often, Iris would mention it. Most of the time for her own personal amusement, others times for ammo when she didn't have anything left to use.

"If by _fond_, you mean I consider him a friend, then yes. I am very _fond_ of him."

"You know what I meant." As she stepped out of the room with Reyna not too far behind. "I mean, he is handsome."

"As you've mentioned before." A grin slowly appearing on her face. "You aren't the first that's said that about him. Makes me wonder though..."

"Please, I'm not interested in him."

Laughing, Reyna gave her a casual shrug.

And just like Iris had mentioned a bit ago, Gerard _was_ waiting down the hall. Catching sight of the duo, he made his way over to them. Reyna noticed right away the expression he wore and started to worry. "Hey girls. I have a message for you two."

Nodding her head, she gave a glance to Iris, who shook her head. She didn't know anything about a message, which was odd. "What's the message?"

"Master Evenos is dead."

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.

Two years since Master Ion had taken over and she was concerned where this was going to lead in the long run. Iris was the one to worry more than her, but Reyna knew that if any mistake was made, they would lose so much ground.

For the moment though, she had bigger things to worry about.

"You want me to consider _that_ guy. He's idiot."

Iris let out a huff, frustrated. "He's not an idiot, he's bullheaded. Something you and he have him common."

Scoffing at her statement, Reyna continued. "I think I'd rather take Antonis than Stephen."

"Take them both, for all I care. You need to stop being so picky! Mari is only just barely on board and the fact that you have that Dimeka girl, I'm surprised this hasn't fallen apart already!"

"Fine! Fine, you deal with them. It's bad enough I have to deal with you and that bastard Mohs in one day."

Iris stopped, her mouth open from her about to make a retort. Concerned washed over her in a second. "What does the Grand Maestro want?"

"Nothing serious. He just wanted a 'progress' report. I'm sure he knows about the-"

Iris kicked her and Reyna let out a low growl only to stop when the other indicated at a couple of soldiers coming their way. Quickly, they changed the topic as they passed the Knights. It wasn't until they were back in their room did the both of them let out a sigh. "We need to be more careful. You know the Grand Maestro has a following, right? I'm sure he's got ears everywhere and that's becoming rather bothersome."

"...I've heard. It pisses me off, but if I can bide my time just a little more, I'm sure I'll be close to a promotion. At least then, I'll be in a position of power and we won't have to worry about him looming over us."

"I heard him and that Van Grants are working together. Actually, they were seen together and working on a project from a couple of years ago. Do you know anything about it?"

_That_, huh? She had, in fact. "Rumors, yes. I'm not sure if they did or not. I've been focusing on Master Ion."

"He keeps that Arietta with him most days, though. I don't think you'll get a promotion that way."

"Point being, we need to find someone that can give us good information and sort through the lies. That'll be another task you can focus on."

"Yay..."

.

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.

Ceremonies were never her strong suit, but thankfully, this one was small. Van was there as was Mohs, but she paid no mind to him. Her promotion felt long overdue, but here she was. Twenty-two years of age and she was commander of the Fon Master Guardians. Iris had been ecstatic to hear about it as were the others. Though her following wasn't too terribly big, she had those she trusted enough. That was more than she could say for some of the others that could have been the commander.

Van gestured for her to come over where he was standing, which she did. He gave her a smile and rested a hand on the shoulder. "To think you would have made it this far. You have done well, Reyna."

"You're one to talk, _Commandant_ Grants."

A chuckle escaped him. "True. We both have worked hard for this."

They talked for a bit more before Reyna excused herself and wandered off. She had purposely avoided Mohs, though she had a feeling he was smugger about this than offended. It was annoying, but there was no point in ruining this for herself by polluting her thoughts with the bastard.

Later, after the ceremony was over, she headed back to the commons area. Reyna had only just entered when someone picked her up and twirled her around. Hearing a familiar laugh, she saw those familiar brown eyes and started to laugh with the guy before hitting his shoulders. "Put me down, Gerard! Everyone's watching!"

"Let them watch! Congratulations Reyna! I'm just so damn happy for you!"

"Congrats, _Commander_!~" Uresa called out, trying to make her way over to them, but being the shortest of the group made that difficult.

Once her friend put her down, she felt a gentle pat on the back from Antonis and Stephen followed up by nudging her shoulder. The twins, Cora and Claudia both gave her hugs while Mari held a cake in her hands, her expression remaining passive. However, it wasn't hard to tell that she was excited for her. Even Iris gave her a big and warm hug, surprising Reyna. Whispering in her ear, so that only Reyna could hear, she said, "I'm so happy for you. I knew you could do it..."

Laughing, the new commander patted the other's back awkwardly. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks though...for everything."

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.

"Arietta, you're being promoted to God-General." Reyna kept her gaze steady as she watched the wild girl stare at the floor for a long moment. Receiving no answer, she continued. "This is effective immediately."

"No! Master Ion only got better! I-I have to see Ion! I have to protect Master Ion! That's what a Guardian does!" Having shot her head back up, the petite girl pushed herself forward, standing in front of Reyna's desk. A desperate look on her face, she was pleading with her eyes. "I don't want to be a God-General!"

"Arietta." Her tone was cold as she indicated for the girl to move back. "This decision has already been made. Your things have been removed from the Guardian's quarters and you are to report to Commandant Grants as soon as possible."

The girl shook her head, tears welling up. "B-But Master Ion-!"

Her hands slammed on the desk as she stood. "You are to do as you are told or you won't be allowed to see the Fon Master at all!"

The girl looked absolutely devastated and even though Reyna felt bad, she wasn't going to change what she said. Seeing this, Arietta quickly covered her face with that doll she had been carrying around as of recently. There was no noise as the pink-haired girl turned and ran from the room.

Sinking into her chair, the woman rubbed her temple.

It was becoming tiresome, all of this change. She had to move around some of the Guardians and even transfer a lot of them out. Though she had wished to argue with Van about this, she was only barely able to keep her little circle of Guardians that she trusted. If not for some quick-thinking, she may have lost them all. With how Mohs had been, Reyna had become anxious. It was only luck that she managed to keep her forces at the number that they were.

And with this Arietta situation, Reyna wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"Commander?"

Glancing, she caught sight of pigtails and a pink uniform. "It's alright, Anise. Come in."

Stepping in, she placed a pile of papers on the desk. Taking the top few, she paused. "Some of these are a bit dirty and seemed wrinkled. What happen?"

"Hahaha...I just tripped, Commander. I'll do better next time, don't you worry!"

Reyna stared at the girl for a long moment, watching as she tried to remain as neutral as she could before the commander simply shrugged it off. "If you say so. How is the Fon Master?"

A smile of relief appeared on her face before she beamed at the older woman. "He's good! He stays in his room and does a lot of work, so I haven't have much trouble."

"Good. Since you're his new personal Guardian, Anise, you have to keep an good eye on him. Not just for his health. It's important that you watch over him."

The girl nodded her head, but it was obvious that she wanted to roll her eye. Reyna excused her and let her get back to work.

The exhaustion continued to build up.

.

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.

When she wanted to be, Reyna could be a force to be reckoned with. This was a lesson a few Guardians had learned and would still be learning once she let Iris in on the situation. Her second-in-command had become busy with teaching some of the classes for the Guardians, but she managed well enough. She thought of mentioning it to Mari, but Iris was enough. Those girls wouldn't be fooling around anymore, even if it meant expulsion from the program.

Maybe she could get Van to pretend it would be from the Order itself, but...no. She had her business with the Guardians and he had his dealing with the God-Generals and the Oracle Knights as a whole.

"If you face keeps scrunching up like that, you'll get wrinkles early on in life."

Rolling her eyes, she turned to see Gerard watching her. He had a grin on his face as he leaned against the wall. For a moment, she looked over him. Still the same old Gerard, except his farmer's tan might have gotten just a tiny bit darker. That and he had been transferred to the First Division with Largo. While she was happy for him, it didn't stop what was in the back of her mind.

"Whatever. Anyway, you going to tell me why you're here or what?"

His grin grew. "I heard about those girls. You've frighten them to the point that I hear they might quit."

"Good riddance too! I hate people like them."

He laughed for a few moments before he stopped and his face grew serious. She waved her hand to indicate for him to say what was on his mind.

"Did you hear about Commander Cantabile?"

That was a surprise. Reyna hadn't figured Gerard knew her, but realized she had been associated with the God-Generals, which was surprising. All things considering, anyway.

"That she's...away, yes?"

Gerard nodded his head as Reyna moved ahead, walking past him and he followed suit. "I heard early today they're going to revoke the idea of her being in charge of the Sixth Division. I think they're going to give it to that Asch guy."

Huh.

"Well, you shouldn't worry about it too much. You'll only interact with him when the other divisions get together for a big mission or are out training together."

"True, but I feel uneasy."

Squinting, Reyna didn't know what she should say. Letting the silence follow, they walked until the two of them had to part ways. Though she wished she could have said something to make him not worry, the woman had other things on her mind. Besides, Gerard had grown up. Especially after what happen two years ago when...

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She asked and he smiled at her.

It was a smile she knew by heart at this point. "Of course. We can even train in the morning for a bit. Bring Uresa along if you want."

He waved as he went off to attend to his duties.

Watching him, Reyna couldn't help but let her thoughts go back to when she arrived back at Daath. Next year would be the decade mark—for when she first came here. She could almost scarcely believe it. From Chesedonia to here.

This had become her life now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Hello everyone! I want to welcome you to an entirely new chapter one for **_Different Paths_**. For those of you that are old readers, you will notice the next chapter is the previous chapter one. This is because while I was working on revising this story, I tried to add a bit more to the beginning which turned into this chapter. I hope you enjoy the extra tidbits on Reyna and her life in Daath prior to the start of the story.

Note! Those of you who know about Reyna later on in the story, I kept certain chunks out during this. It's more to focus on her becoming a Guardian and then to becoming the commander. This chapter also introduces many minor characters that are important in Reyna's life as they will play roles later on. As such, I wanted you to get a feel for them now rather than throwing them at you later.

I'm rewriting the chapters before I upload the newest 'new' chapter where I left you all hanging. That is why I will be reuploading the chapters with either small or big changes! Please read the chapters as I reupload them, either as to refresh yourself with the story or to see if you notice the changes! And please, tell me your thoughts on the chapters and changes!

**Edit(8/11/14)**: Changed the titles back to what they were originally. Trying to be witty in titles is not working. ):

**Preview**  
><strong>Chapter 2: Days Gone By<strong> - The year is ND 2018. A decade has passed since Reyna came to Daath and we see what a normal day is like for her as commander of the Fon Master Guardians. However, with Mohs at her back and that of a Malkuth emissary to deal with, Reyna has a lot on her plate. Little does she know that her life is about to get a lot more hectic.


	2. Days Gone By

**Look not at the days gone by  
>with a forlorn heart. They were<br>simply the dots we can now connect  
>with our present, to help us draw<br>the outline of a beautiful tomorrow.  
><strong>-Dodinsky

* * *

><p>Groaning, Reyna curled her body more into a ball to keep the warmth. Her blanket scrunched around her, the commander let out another groan. Was it too much to ask for another day off? It had been so nice to relax, even if it wasn't exactly relaxing as it might have been. She had fretted about the boy most of the day until her friend told her to calm down and reassured her.<p>

Now she regretted not taking the time to get more sleep.

Pushing herself up and wrapping the blanket around her shoulder, Reyna moved to the edge of the bed. Yawning, she stood and headed over to the bathroom. The longer she stayed in bed, the more she would have to deal with later on. Being in charge of the Guardians was no easy task, as the last two years had proved. After a shower and getting some breakfast, she'd have to swing by her office and pick up some paper before heading to check on the Fon Master.

She would have to remind Iris and Mari to let the Guardians know what exercise they would be doing today as well.

Busy days had become the norm for Reyna.

Leaving her blanket at the bathroom door, she entered and began to strip off her nightwear. What she liked best about being in a position of power was you were allowed to have your own bathroom in your own room. You didn't have to share bed space or go to the public bathroom. It was pretty great, if she was being honest. A perk, even!

Of course, some families had a similar treatment if they were lucky or 'devoted believers', which was basically saying they had the money for it. Others, like soldiers, cantors, and such were forced to share rooms. It wasn't a bad set-up. Then again, she had roomed with Iris most of her time as a Guardian, so she couldn't complain as much.

Those had been good times.

Starting the shower head, she waited a few moments before it was warm enough for her to get in. The shower definitely helped with waking her up more and the tension in her shoulders began to go away. Reyna decided to not rush as she washed her hair and body.

When she stepped out, Reyna felt more alert and awake. Grabbing a towel and drying herself off, the woman began getting ready for the day. As she walked into her room, she began to dry her hair, moving over toward the closet. She pulled out her uniform and boots and threw them on the bed. With her hair at least damp at this point, she took her brush and brushed it thoroughly.

It was funny since she could remember the times her hair only came to her neck.

Braiding her hair quickly and pulling on some undergarments, Reyna put on her uniform. Having made some minor modifications, it was easier for her to move around in and especially fight in. However, the tabard was part of it, something she still disliked greatly. Pulling on her boots, finding her gloves and gauntlets, she pulled them on.

A quick check in the mirror and she looked presentable. No need to worry about Mohs or one of his people making some snide comment.

Eh.

Time for breakfast and if she was lucky, nothing major had happened that would require her attention right away. Because, Yulia forbid, Stephan was already in trouble or something like that. Food first, then Anise, then the other Guardians.

With a schedule in mind, she set off.

.

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.

The day had been going relatively well. Breakfast had been good, Anise had already been on her way to check in with the Fon Master, and Stephan hadn't caused a ruckus yet.

That was a good start.

It was nearing noon when the Fon Master stated he wanted to go for a walk. It was a request she heard often enough these days, especially around this time of day. Plus, Reyna liked it when the Fon Master got some sun. It did a good thing for his health, at least she figured at much. It might be the civilians he saw when he walked around Daath. The people of Daath loved the Fon Master and he loved them back, if the look on his face after his walks were any indication.

Anise was the first to voice her approval for this. "That sounds like a great idea, Ion! Time to take a break from all of this boring paperwork."

Reyna gave a shrug before nodding in agreement. Since she would be spending most of today with him anyway, there wasn't any harm of him leaving his office. It made him and others happy and though she didn't admit it, being out in the sun instead of inside had always been a preference of hers.

At any rate, Malkuth emissary wouldn't be arriving until a while later, so they were good on time. This, however, wasn't something she was looking forward to. In all honesty, politics were never her thing, though she imagine it wasn't much of anyone's 'thing'.

The trio had only just left the Fon Master's room when, to her surprise, Gerard stood right in their path. With that smile of his on his face, Reyna couldn't help but give him a half-smile of her own in return. It was hard not to since it was sort of an infectious smile that he had.

The Fon Master smiled as well while Anise waved and greeted the other. "Hey Gerard!"

The man waved back, bending down just a bit to be more on level with. He had, after all, a good foot on her. "Well hey, Anise. I haven't see you around in a while. I hope things are going good with the Fon Master and Reyna."

"Of course! I have to keep them in line, y'know. Reyna just can't stop talking about you." She teased, giving Reyna a sly look and a mischievous smile played on her lips. The older Guardian did her best not to roll her eyes. Anise had this thought, like others in the past, that she and Gerard had feelings for each other. "What are you doing here anyway? Going to ask Reyna out?"

Gerard, way back when they first started out as friends, would have definitely become a bit flustered over this. However, they were beyond that point, so the Oracle Knight just laughed. "Nah, I need Reyna for something. It shouldn't take too long."

Reyna raised an eyebrow at this.

Gerard gave a shrug. "Don't worry, Reyna. I'll tell you on the way."

Sighing, Reyna could only assume it was some business with one of the higher-ups. And since it was Gerard that was here, it would likely be Largo.

She turned, her eyes to the boy and his other Guardian. "Anise, I am sure you can handle this. Please see to it that the Fon Master is back before the emissary arrives."

"Will do~"

With the two of them heading off in one direction, Gerard gestured for Reyna to follow him.

Acting as the guide, Gerard lead her down the hall. They took the stairs to another part of the cathedral. Reyna kept up with him pretty well and they started to chat. Nothing important, or even Order related. She considered Gerard her best friend and she was pretty sure he felt the same. By this point, it had been about...what? Nine years since they've known each other? Even if she had known Iris just as long, she consider him the one she was closest to. Though Iris _did_ come pretty close to it—her confidant maybe?

Anyway, it was nice. It had always surprised her how he managed to continue to be in her life. There were times she thought he would move on, especially when finally started to date around. However, that didn't happen and though some of relationships with the other females hadn't worked out for him, he always had that smile.

Gerard bumped shoulders with, her eyes glancing at him. "By the way, it's God-General Legretta that wants to speak with you. I don't know much besides that, though. Sorry."

"That's alright." Reyna replied, waving him off. She took note that his uniform was crisp and perfect as always. The one difference between his uniform and other divisions was the design on the front. It was how each division was told apart. Unlike them, the Guardians had more lee-way with their uniforms, such as color and design. "I hope it doesn't take too long. That Malkuth emissary should be arriving today and I have to make sure Mohs doesn't get all high and mighty during the meeting. Yulia only knows he would."

The man laughed. "You should be more careful what you say around here. You know how his faction likes to hang around everywhere."

"Mohs knows my distaste for him."

"Still..."

She bumped his shoulder, just like he had done. "Don't worry about, okay?"

"Okay." He said with a nod, at least looking a bit more reassured. Reyna hated worrying him with what was going on between the factions. Gerard was one that would often tell her that it might get her in deep trouble if she wasn't careful.

The rest of the way was filled with quiet chit-chat. She mentioned how training with her Guardians were going. He talked about how his division might be going on a field mission soon. It was sort of calming to her. By the time they reached the designated place, Gerard was, once again, smiling. "God-General Legretta is within. Blah, blah, blah, y'know the rest."

"Gerard, did I ever tell you how very formal you can be." The Guardian sarcastically replied.

She watched the smile disappear from his face, though she was sure it wasn't from her joke. She could tell that he wanted to say more but he was hesitating. Reyna knew that he needed to be pushed sometimes, so she simply said, "Gerard."

"Hahaha, sorry." The male looked embarrassed now and it made Reyna smile again. "Do you want to hang out later, if you're not busy?"

He was always worrying about that.

Since she was in charge of the Guardians, it made him feel like she wouldn't have time. Gerard should have known better because she would always find time to at least try to hang out. They were best friends after all. "Oh I suppose. I mean if you want to _hang out _and not train this time_._"

"It's a date then." He said with a chuckle, patting her shoulder. Rolling her eyes, she waved her hand, in a dismissive manner this time.

Reyna knocked on the door while Gerard went off to attend to his other duties. She didn't wait for an answer as she entered and started. "You called, Legre-" The blonde God-General looked up from the papers she was bent over as Reyna entered but that was not who made her stop. In the room was Largo and Arietta as well. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Commander..." The Guardian's eyes came upon the petite and fragile-looking girl with the title of the Wild. She hid her face behind that strange doll of hers but nevertheless, Reyna offered her nod of acknowledgment at the very least.

Her eyes went toward the larger and only male of the three here. It never ceased to amaze her how large Largo was and she made a note that she would not want to face him in battle. He gave her a nod before saying, "It is good to see you are well."

"The same to you, Largo."

Legretta was quick to put an end to the formalities. "Enough idle chatter. How are things with the Fon Master? Is he well?"

"He's good." Though the reply was curt, Legretta seemed to be satisfied with it.

"I see. You are also aware the Commandant is not here in Daath?"

Of course she knew. Crossing her arms, Reyna stared at Legretta. Did she take Reyna for a fool or that she just didn't pay attention to what was going on. Van went to Baticul to train that boy. It wasn't like she didn't know this. "Yes, I am aware. Is there something you need?"

The older woman shook her head as she went back to overlooking some paperwork. "No. I just was checking up on you and the boy. I heard an emissary of Malkuth will be here today to see the Fon Master. I hope things will go well with that."

"Of course. Considering how Mohs will handle it, it'll go _smoothly_." Reyna rolled her eyes at this. Largo gave her a look, even though that the man probably didn't like Mohs much himself. Even Arietta looked a bit uncomfortable, at least more so than usual, though if she was being honest, it was probably because of she was here. Legretta didn't seem to care too much about what she had said. Largo could only shake his head as he headed past the woman.

"I'll get my soldiers ready." Largo said as he left the room. Reyna turned her head to glance at his back, wondering if this was the field mission Gerard mentioned.

When her eyes went back to the two woman, she noticed that Arietta had kept her eyes on her until their gazes met. She glanced away while Legretta continued. "In an hour, Largo, Arietta and I will be going on a mission. We'll be gone for a couple of days. The others will be busy with other tasks as well. Please watch over the Fon Master and make sure the Order remains intact."

Reyna would have scoffed but decided it would be best not to. Like she really needed to be told to do her job! Reyna wondered what was really going on with the older woman. Had Van asked her to check up on Reyna?

This did not please her. When she saw Van next, she was going to have a chat with him.

Departing, Reyna was scarcely half-way down the hall when she heard her title being called out. Turning, the woman saw Arietta running to her and stopping just before the Guardian. "I-I…wanted to talk to you."

She had an idea what it might be about. "I see. About anything particular?"

"Will you make me a Fon Master Guardian again?"

She should have known this was what Arietta wanted to talk to her about. She could see that determination in her eyes, knowing that this was her only way to get back in. After all, she was the commander. She had say about who stayed and who didn't. If it had been up to her, she would have allowed it. Damn the decision they had decided! She knew what she was doing.

Yet...

She also knew why Arietta could _not_ be back with the Guardians.

Best to squash this while she had the chance. Letting out an aggravated sigh, almost like she was annoyed, Reyna replied, "I can't Arietta. We've been over this."

"But why? It's not fair! That stupid girl! She took Master Ion away from me!"

Reyna's face harden. "Arietta, that's enough. You are with the Special Forces. I cannot and _will_ not change that."

_'_Don't let her know. This is the only comfort I can give her.' A familiar voice played in the back of her head.__

"I don't care! I want Ion back."

Reyna didn't even feel the need to answer before she turned and walked off.

They had this conversation before and it had ended up just the same.

Arietta didn't follow nor did she call out again. Reyna was her only connection to possibly being let back into the Guardians. Reyna really didn't like the position she was in because it only left her to disappoint Arietta. She couldn't change the fact that Arietta had to stay with the God-Generals. Plus, she knew Van said to keep it this way. Maybe she was just putting too much thought in this but it wasn't like she couldn't avoid Arietta forever either.

"Commander?" Reyna stopped, her mind brought back and she stared at another Guardian. It was Antonis and she noticed that he had a new haircut. Reyna looked at him curiously and when he noticed how she was staring at him, he touched his cropped black hair. "Yeah, I thought the long hair was getting in the way. Besides, Cora said it fit my build better."

Reyna nodded at this.

With his heavy and solid build, which actually reminded her somewhat of Largo's stature albeit not as large or as tall, this haircut suited him more. That was when an amused expression appeared on her face as she added slyly, "You sure you aren't doing it for one of the girls?" Atonis opened his mouth but nothing came. He began to look flustered and Reyna found this highly entertaining, especially from someone like Atonis, who was the very serious leader type. "Just remember, you and Stephan are the only males in the Guardians at this moment. It's a special privilege so don't go chasing after the girls all time."

"A-Aye, Commander. I should get going."

She really was a horrible tease to the boys when she wanted to be, but they both deserved it. The two of them acted like idiots sometimes. Dear Lorelei! It reminded her of the first time she had Atonis and Stephan train together. Bad idea on her part. Still, she smiled at the male. "Off to do an exercise with the others then?"

Before he could answer, another voice rang. "Commander Milas!"

Anyone that saw her face in that moment would see her joking nature was dropped and replaced with annoyance. Her stance going rigid and her expression turning neutral, Reyna took a deep breath before turning. There was were few people she despised and Grand Maestro Mohs was one of those few. It didn't matter what Van said or how essential he was, Reyna hated the guy.

Answering back, Reyna simply said, "Grand Maestro."

"I have heard the Fon Master is out."

"Yes, he's taking one of his usual walks."

This obviously displeased Mohs. "Even though the Malkuth emissary is coming today and soon? I find it very irresponsible for the both of you to disregard this. The lack of keeping to his schedule and you letting him do so reflects badly on all of us. Even if he is a _teenager_, he is the leader of our Order. You would be due to remember that."

_She could see that he was rather enjoying this. Scolding her in front of her subordinate and all. Behind her, Reyna could almost feel Atonis stiffen. He was biting his tongue only because she was here right now and speaking out would not make the situation better. She was glad that it was Atonis here and not Stephen because this would be a very different conversation. _

"Of course, Grand Maestro. I'll go see to him at once and bring him back." The woman replied with a pleasant smile, at least as best as she could manage with the man before her.

"Good. I need to speak with him before this emissary arrives. Don't waste time Commander." With a smug look on his face, one that made her want to punch him, the man left.

Reyna glared at his back.

"Commander, why did you take that?" Antonis finally asked and when Reyna turned to look at him, he had a very confused look. Atonis was with the Fon Master faction of course, so she understood. "He even spoke poorly of the Fon Master!"

Renya shook her head, sighing. "Sometimes, you have to bite your tongue and choose your battles. For now, I do need to attend to the Fon Master. Please head back to the others and make sure Stephan stays in line this time. Don't want another exercise to go wrong. Also tell Iris I wish to speak with her later."

Saluting, Atonis and Reyna parted ways. He still didn't look happy, but he was a good soldier and did as he was told. She was glad he hadn't spoken up because she knew that Moh would have thought that she didn't know how to keep her Guardians in line. She had gone through enough of that with Stephan.

It didn't take long for the commander to find the two as they were just heading back. When Anise saw Reyna, she smiled and reported back, "All goes well. We made it back safe and sound, just like you asked." She added a salute to this.

Reyna's eyes went to the Fon Master and he looked calmer and a bit happier. That was the effects of him going on a walk around the city. Not only did it show that the Fon Master cared for his people, but that his people cared for him and made him happy. This, in turn, helped the boy to continue doing his best. "I see. Grand Maestro Mohs wishes to speak to the Fon Master before we begin the meeting."

"Alright."

.

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.

Reyna stood almost directly behind the Fon Master while her eyes lingered on the man before them. He was bent down on one knee, waiting as the Fon Master and Mohs looked over the letter. Anise stood back a couple of steps, trying to keep her face neutral. The man before them, Colonel Curtiss, there was something about him she couldn't put her finger on, but it was there. Having only caught a glance of him directly before the meeting started, she hadn't been able to get anymore from him.

"You're Colonel Jade Curtiss, correct?" asked the boy, as he looked up from the document. "I understand your request. From this document, it is clear that Emperor Peony wrote it sincerely, not merely stating it."

Colonel Curtiss nodded his head and glanced up to meet their gazes, particularly the Fon Master's. His reply was a simple, "Yes."

"His Majesty must truly wish for peace from the bottom of his heart." The green-haired boy spoke softly now, causing Reyna to glance at him from the side. "This must be why the citizens love him more than anything…which I truly think is wonderful." A serene expression cross his face while he said these things and Reyna did her best not to make any kind of facial expression because of it. She could tell that Mohs was not happy with the way the boy was speaking and continued to glare at the paper. The Colonel, on the other hand, stared at the Fon Master with an odd look and the boy noticed this. "Is something wrong?

The man shook his head and pushed up his glasses. "Nothing at all. Pardon me." A very brief smile appeared on his face. "Those thoughtful words are indeed, reassuring. I think it sounds very promising."

"Colonel Curtiss!" Reyna nearly jumped when Mohs spoke suddenly and with a harsh tone in his voice. He moved to the front of the rounded table he had been behind just moments ago.

"Yes?" It kind of surprised her how he could remain so calm when Mohs could easily lose his temper but then again, the Fon Master _was_ here. Regardless, she felt the need to applaud the man. If only she could, just to see Mohs' reaction.

"Leave the letter here. We'll give an official response tomorrow." Honestly, Mohs was overreacting to all of this. The boy's eyes remained Grand Maestro's back but he said nothing. Reyna wanted to say something herself yet kept her mouth shut. No point in causing a scene, especially with what Mohs said to her earlier.

The Fon Master continued to remain silent as Colonel Curtiss bowed his head. "Understood. I'll be waiting at the port then."

With that, he stood and left room. Mohs turned back to the boy and spoke in a tone of authority. "I need to speak with you, Fon Master." His eyes went to Reyna and Anise, glaring at the two Guardians. Anise stiffen, while Reyna openly glared back at him. "_Privately_."

"Of course. Reyna and Anise, you're dismissed for lunch." He said, turning towards the two of them.

"Yes, Fon Master."

"Of course, Ion!"

Mohs began to guide the Fon Master back to his room with Reyna's eyes lingering on them. She followed Anise out, her thoughts wondering on the events today. Pretty much, every day was somehow an extension of this one. A dab of her Guardians and dealing with their problems, a dash of Mohs being Mohs, a small spoon of the Fon Master and Anise, with just a hint of meetings that ends up with Mohs getting mad or trying to make moves that make him think he is above the Fon Master. It frustrating, to say the very least.

"Reyna, what is the plan for now?" asked Anise, walking ahead, before turning to look her.

She met her eyes and shook her head. "Well, most of the others will probably done with their exercise. You may as well as have lunch."

A wide smile appeared on her face before it turned to a grin. "What about you? Are you going to have another lunch date with Gerard?"

The Guardian rolled her eyes. "No and just for a fact, we are not dating. I don't see why you are so adamant on the subject."

From there, the two of them discuss various things but sometimes Anise would stray back to the fact of her and Gerard. It did get annoying from time to time but it was Anise. Reyna made no attempt to tell Anise her encounter with Arietta. The pink-haired girl displayed her dislike and even hatred for Anise and the feeling was mutual for Anise as well. There was nothing Reyna could do or say to either one of them to make them understand, so Reyna had simply given up on it. Besides, she really didn't want to have to choose sides in the end.

If it came to that...

Finally, they parted ways. Reyna pretended to head towards the small room that was called her 'office'. At least until she was definitely sure that Anise wasn't following. Sometimes, Anise tended to be in places that she normally shouldn't be or said she would be somewhere else. Reyna would admit, Anise was a hell of a lot more clever than she let on. Still, she changed her route and made her way towards the Fon Master's room. She didn't like nor trust Mohs enough with his private chat with the boy. She always felt the need to be there.

When she neared the door, she approached it slowly. When she was close enough, she pressed her body near the wall and tried to listen to the conversation behind the closed door. Her only choice was to press her ear to the door and-

"-planning to depart from this city?"

Pressing herself closer, she listen to the boy's response. "Y-yes. But, I'll bring a follower with me as well."

That would be Anise, of course. While she may be the commander, he most likely felt comfortable with Anise by his side. Besides, Reyna would never agree to go unless he agreed to bring along more Guardians with him.

"Fon Master." Just the way he said it made Reyna bristle, because Mohs had no _right_ to talk to the boy like that. That condescending tone had bothered her since the day she met him. He believed himself above others and it rubbed her the wrong way. "You can leave it all to us. Simply appearing at public events and signing documents should be more than enough for you. Just do as you always have."

If things were the way as they had been before, Mohs would have known his place.

Seconds passed by before the boy finally answered."…Yes. I'm sorry."

If she could take the risk, Reyna might have walked in right then and there. However, the game that continued to play behind the scenes was still at work and the woman couldn't take the risk. Even if she didn't want to see the boy walked all over by that bastard.

"Take some short breaks if you like, Fon Master Ion." Reyna heard footsteps approach the door and she scowled.

The commander quickly pushed herself away from the door and stood close by. She waited for Mohs to enter the hallway and close the door behind him. He didn't notice her until he turned to walk down the hall. The shocked and angry look he had made this sort of worthwhile in the long run.

Reyna kept an even gaze while he spoke, regaining that arrogant manner of his. "Commander."

"Yes, Grand Maestro?" Her tone was sickly sweet.

"Do not underestimate the Score." Her eyes narrowed this, though she said nothing as he brushed passed her. She turned her head to watch his back, as her right hand balled into a fist. "…and make sure Colonel Curtiss gets his reply."

Oh, how she **hated** him.

With pursed lips, Reyna walked right into the Fon Master's room without knocking. The door burst open as the boy whipped around to see his Guardian standing at his door. He open his mouth, perhaps to greet her, but she held up a hand. "Please, Fon Master, let me speak first."

Looking troubled, he just nodded his head. "Understand what Mohs says is right." She wanted to throw up at just admitting this but she didn't need the boy running out and doing something reckless. "We'll...I'll...handle this for you. Just do what you've always done and it will be alright." He looked like he wanted to disagree. "Just do your best."

The Fon Master looked at her with widen eyes. "Reyna?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." he said with a gentle smile, causing Reyna to frown. "Is there something else you needed to speak to me about?"

Reyna turned her back on him, ready to head out. "No, that shall be all for now. I will return after your lunch and we'll continue with your schedule for today."

"Okay."

With a sigh, she left the room.

Her mind went back to the day and she realized how messy it had become. It wasn't even over yet and she already felt tired. Reyna thought about her little meeting with Legretta, reminding herself that she needed to have a talk with Van when he came back. Then her confrontation with Arietta hadn't ended well and made her feel even more frustrated with how things turned out. Then the audience with Colonel Curtiss followed by this? Why couldn't there be one day when she wasn't worrying over the boy or dealing with Mohs or anything.

Too bad Gerard had likely already left for his mission. Maybe it would be a good idea to go talk to Iris...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Welcome to the end of chapter two! I had to make some more changes to this chapter and add a bit to make it flow better. Nothing too big except the ending since I realized Gerard should have already been gone. It's whatever, but anyway! If any of you notice a mistake, please let me know right away! I'm doing this rewriting without my beta reader, but I do what I want! YOU HEAR ME ASH?! I DO WHAT I WANT!

Anyway, my beta reader is IHaveNoIdea8, so I'd appreciate it if you would check out her story, Not What It Seems. We do cameos for each other's story, so you'll see her OCs here and my OCs in hers from time to time.

Also, any and all reviews are appreciated and thank you for understanding on this reupload. It's been a whole year guys! I haven't updated in a year!

**Preview  
>Chapter 3: Operation Escape <strong>- After delivering a reply to the Malkuth emissary, Reyna heads back to Daath. Upon her return, she finds herself barred from Ion's room. Something is going on and the commander doesn't like. It is then she finds out a plot that involves kidnapping and escaping imprisonment. What exactly will Reyna do when she becomes involved?


	3. Operation Escape

**The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.  
><strong>-Robert Burns

* * *

><p>Reyna continued to gaze out the window of the carriage as it made its way to the port. It wouldn't be a long drive either, so she should be back in time to check in with the Fon Master. It was around mid-morning, meaning that she may be back before noon rolled around. Yesterday had been eventful and she only hoped today would end less so. The Guardian had went straight to sleep as soon as she had gotten back to her room that evening.<p>

Today, the focus would be delivering the message to the emissary. While she could have easily had one of her subordinates do it, she felt the need to do this herself. She wasn't the Fon Master's full time Guardian. That was Anise's job and surely today was just like any other day. Besides, leaving Iris in charge gave her peace at mind. Her longtime friend and confidant knew how to take care of things in her stead, considering she had helped raise the Guardians up along with her.

She had, at least, some faith.

Once the carriage arrived at the destination, Reyna told the driver she wouldn't be long and she entered Daath Bay. Colonel Curtiss should be here somewhere with his ship and crew.

Her eyes wandered around, watching people pass by and had the thought of how nice it was here. In a way, ports always seem to remind her of her old home. There was also the fact that nothing seemed out of place here as everyone chatted happily. Who knew that war could be on the horizon between a kingdom and an empire.

Regardless, she was here to deliver the reply to the Colonel, though she did feel a bit bad about the proposal being rejected. That was just how things went sometimes, especially when Mohs became involved.

Finally, she saw the Malkuth ship and quickly made her way toward it. Her eyes lingered as a few Malkuth soldiers carried crates and bags onto the ship. Re-supplying, were they? She stepped closer but was stopped by another soldier who was on guard duty. "What business do you have here?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry for not saying anything. I am Reyna Milas, here to give Colonel Curtiss a reply for the proposal he presented yesterday." The solider looked her over and she smiled at him, albeit rather falsely, but he seemed to believe her well enough.

"Just a moment then."

Waiting for the Colonel to appear, her eyes turned back to the port. She noticed a few of the stands that were set up were open for business. For a moment, she thought back to when Anise mentioned a snack that they sold here. It had become popular as of late and people ordered them to be delivered to city directly.

Apparently, they were a thin bread that had a different kinds filling on the inside. Her fellow Guardian mentioned it a number of times, hinting at Reyna to try it and maybe get some extra to share. Having always declined, she didn't see any reason not to stop by on her way back. Perhaps getting a few to give to Anise as a gift, who would share with the Fon Mast—?

"Miss Milas?" Reyna turned her attention back to see Colonel Curtiss standing before her. She nodded her head, bowing quickly. "I hope this is good news."

"I apologize, Colonel Curtiss. The Fon Master has confirmed he cannot cooperate with the request, though he thanks you for asking." She waited for a reaction, but it did not come. Even after a few moments, he didn't even register surprise.

He merely replied with, "I see…that is quite regretful."

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for nothing. However, I must be off. Good day, Colonel Curtiss." This colonel was odd, strange even. Not in a weird sort of way, just not what she expected when she saw him yesterday. Bowing once more, her braid fell forward as she took one more glance at him. Even now, he still seemed so calm and it perplexed her so.

Turning, she was just at the stairs when the older man called out to her. "How is the Fon Master? Is he fit to travel to Malkuth?"

Reyna paused, not moving for a moment before she turned her head to stare at the man. He posture and expression gave away nothing, which made her more guarded about his question. At that, she tried to think of what Mohs had said to her earlier and made use of the excuse. "No, he's actually quite ill."

"So suddenly?"

"Yes, it's strange. The Fon Master fainted soon after our audience with you." She hinted, almost like it was too much of a coincidence. Of course that was to see if he would react but again, nothing. "He's bedridden and can't even make public events."

Colonel Curtiss nodded his head. "I see, that's not good. So even an extended invitation would do no good?"

What a man, to be so bold as to even stay here despite the rejection. What exactly was going through his mind right now?

"I should think not. Who knows how long he'll be sick this time but I must head back. As someone who's in charge of Fon Master Guardians, I have to keep watch over him and the others. I am merely here at _his_ request to give you _his_ message." Once again, Reyna bowed before turning to leave. Thankfully, Colonel Curtiss didn't ask any more of the situation.

Now to get back to Daath as soon as possible.

.

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.

Leaning against the back of her chair, Reyna's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but think of the colonel-that Jade Curtiss.

The way he acted rubbed her the wrong way, mostly because she didn't know what he was thinking. It felt like he had some other plan in mind, which made her uneasy. Perhaps she should send one of her subordinates to keep watch on the man.

A knock brought her out of her reverie and she called out, "Come in."

The door swung open and she saw the burnt orange hair before her eyes landed on the lime green uniform. As the girl bounced into her office, the two small braids that she wore on both sides of her face flopped around. There was a short salute before she jumped on Reyna's desk and waved her hand at the older Guardian. "Commander!~"

Reyna could only let out an exhausted sigh. "Uresa."

"C'mon, don't sound like you don't want to see me! I've been good, unlike Stephan!" A small snicker escaped her lips as she leaned back.

"Get on with it."

Uresa's cheeks puffed out before she jumped off of the desk. "Fine, fine. I thought you should know that Grand Maestro Mohs is..."

Reyna listen intently while the younger Guardian reported to her about Mohs' activities. She had deemed it necessary since he was in charge of a faction that directly opposed the Fon Master's reformist group. It didn't bode well with her, so she had Uresa been listening in on a few conversations. Iris had found her a few years back and realized how good the girl had been at finding out information. When you were small and appeared insignificant, no one paid you much mind.

It made the sixteen year old's job quite easy, actually.

"Interesting. We'll leave it alone for now."

"Aye. Can I go now? I want dinner. Oh! And I'm gonna practice later on the usual place, okay?"

Reyna waved her hand and the girl didn't even take a glance back before she headed out. The Commander only shook her head, knowing that she would have to talk to Uresa about how she presented herself. Mohs always found excuses to undermine her and her Guardians had always been one of the excuses he used.

For now, she should probably go check on the Fon Master. All of her reports were nearly finished, though she was unsure how to address what happen with the Guardians' recent exercise. Stephan seemed to be playing nice with the others for now. It was a wonder if it was because Mari had beat some sense into him...

But that was getting off the subject.

It was time to go see the Fon Master. Surely, she could do so now.

When she had gotten back, they, some Oracle Knights, had refused to let her in his chambers. That alone was enough to anger her but what was more was that it was by the Grand Maestros' orders. She, commander of the Fon Master Guardians, refused at the Fon Master's door. It was blasphemy because she knew what Mohs was up to and she didn't like it.

Not one bit.

There was nothing she could have done at that moment, so she left it be. Now, however, she figured that they would at least let her visit him. Dinner was right around now, so surely Mohs wouldn't keep guards at his door all day…

Briefly, she wondered how Anise was doing. She hadn't seen the girl all day either, not even when she came back from the port. Reyna would have gone to find her and ask her if anything had happen but she had been stopped by Iris and they talked briefly, mentioning that they should get together to have dinner and discuss a few things in regards to the training regimen.

As she tried to continue her search for the youngest Guardian, she was, once again, approached by two other Guardians. It was Cora and Claudia and they asked about something Mohs had said, which led to her gather a few more Guardians to explain the situation. Not long after that, she received a message about new members to the Order and a couple of them wanted to join the Guardians. That led to her meeting said new members while checking to see if they would be allowed in the program.

It was after this meeting that she realized she needed to finish some paperwork, so finding Anise had been the last thing on her mind.

Until now, as she neared the Fon Master's room.

Reyna noted that there were no guards this time. It was a safe assumption that she wouldn't have to whip out some authority this time, not that she had **_real_** authority over Mohs' men but if she had to, she would.

When Reyna finally made it to his door, she saw it was already slightly ajar. About to push it open, she caught the conversation going on between the boy and…Anise? Peeking in from the little space from the cracked door, Reyna could see Anise placing food down on the table.

"There's been a rumor going around that war is going to happen soon. Because of this, the cost of living has shot up. Truthfully, everyone is scared and feeling anxious about it." Reyna closed her eyes, understanding what Anise was saying. What she said was, indeed, true. It was funny how Anise could be so open and honest about such things with the boy while she still had trouble herself. It was just hard to do so these days. "But…whenever you're walking around the city, everyone seems to be really happy. Do you know why that is?"

"Why?" From his tone, Reyna could tell he honestly wanted to know as if he had no clue whatsoever. Maybe he didn't…

"Because of you. Everyone has faith and respect in Fon Master Ion."

Reyna gradually open her eyes letting a sigh slip from her lips. '_Fon Master Ion, huh?'_

There was a sudden thump that caused Reyna to jump as Anise exclaimed, "Ion?"

"I think I finally understand what I want to do as Fon Master. I've always wondered if what I was doing was what a Fon Master should do but now I know. It's really not!" What in the world was the boy talking about? She frowned and was about to push the door open when he continued. "Anise, please take me away from here. I'm going with Colonel Curtiss."

"EH?!" Anise replied back loudly as Reyna's eyes widen. Did she hear him right? What in Lorelei's name was he thinking, wanting to go with that man?! "W-What? I mean, Ion! What are you talking about?"

_'Say no, Anise. Be strong, don't let him_-'

"Please?"

Oh dear Yulia...

He was using the _eyes_ wasn't he? Those damn innocent eyes that made you want to do anything he asked. Of course, they never worked on Reyna…for the most part.

But that was beside the point! Anise had to resist and be strong. All she had to do was say no, that it was a bad idea. _'Just tell him that, Anise!'_

"Alright, I'll do it!"

Or not.

Reyna felt the urge to smack herself in the face. "I'm just a loyal people lover. Let us begin Operation: Escape!" She heard footsteps and as the door swung open, Reyna's hands were already on her hips. Frowning, her eyes bore into the younger Guardian. "R-R-Reyna?!"

The Fon Master was quick to come to Anise's defense. "Reyna, please! It's not Anise's fault. I asked her-"

"I know, I heard." she answered smoothly before her eyes fell back to Anise. The girl gave a weak smile as the frown on Reyna's face deepen. "This really leaves us with no choice, doesn't it?"

The boy stared at her, almost a look of fear on his face but that was nothing compared to Anise's expression. When Reyna smirked and winked, the younger girl seemed to relax, if only by a bit.

It was a whimsical desire, to be perfectly honest. To help the Fon Master and Anise in this way, it meant going behind Mohs' back. While that would be enjoyable, she didn't like the idea of having to work with Colonel Curtiss. And if anything, if she didn't help them out, they would only try to sneak around her and this would cause Reyna to fret over the situation.

She'd much rather have Mohs going through all that than herself.

With the boy understanding what she meant, a bright smile appeared on his face. It looked like they would just need a plan of escape now, wouldn't they?

.

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.

With her eyes closed, tapping her foot in impatience, Reyna continued to wait for the duo to arrive. They were late and the Guardian had specifically told Anise _not_ to be late, else it would seem like they had been caught. If they didn't come in another minute, the commander would run off to go find them herself.

"Impatient, are we?" Jade, as he asked her to call him, earned a glare from the woman before she quickly turned her head in the other direction.

She didn't say anything back to him and soon, silence enveloped the two. Two days of planning and now it could all go down the drain. Reyna and Jade had done their part and now it just depended on Anise to get the Fon Master here safe and sound. She went back to tapping her foot, glancing at the woods.

They should be here. This was becoming bothersome...

"You did well on your end, Reyna." The man commented and Reyna glanced at him. She was still bemused by his appearance as he still had his hair up and he wore a simple cloak and outfit.

"As did you. That riot you caused made Mohs quite furious almost to the point it was funny." A small smirk played across her lips while her attention went back to the woods. "It was so hard not to laugh at him then and there. Of course, if we don't get going soon, I don't think my distraction will last much longer."

In that moment, Reyna's eyes caught something and she tensed. When familiar pigtails appeared, she relaxed. More so when she saw the Fon Master's green hair follow as well.

"Reyna! Colonel Curtiss!" Anise waved, while she kept a grip on boy's hand with her own. They were both running toward the boat that she and Jade were standing in.

"We've been waiting. Let us be on our way." replied Jade.

When the two finally reach the boat, Reyna helped the Fon Master in before she noticed that his clothes were dirty and there was a rip on one side. Her eyes went to Anise, noting they were similar state of disarray. "What happened?"

Anise let out a weak laugh. "Yeah, Operation Escape didn't turn out so well near the end."

Reyna gave her a bewildered look as Jade started the engine of the boat.

It roared to life, causing her to tense for a moment. Distracting herself, Reyna began to dust off the Fon Master and make sure the boy had no serious injuries. He touched her hand and gave her a reassured looked that said he was fine. Anise, on the other hand, seemed to finally understand the situation and what they just did, looking downcast about it.

"I did something seriously bad! They'll sack me for sure, I just know it!" Reyna frowned, understanding that this was basically kidnapping, even if the Fon Master had agreed to it.

"I'm so sorry, Anise. I'll try to do everything my power to make sure that doesn't happen." the boy replied, hoping to comfort Anise.

"Really?!" She looked at him in awe and gratitude.

"Won't the same apply to you, Reyna? Being an accomplice in all of this. After all, you are the commander of the Guardians." Jade commented as he began to pull his hair from the ponytail it was in.

Shrugging, she finished her inspection. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not too concerned about it at the moment."

"Lucky…" Anise muttered under her breath.

Reyna rolled her eyes as Jade continued. "We'll follow the river out to sea where my ship is waiting. This way, we don't have to stop at the port."

As the conversation went to the God Generals, Reyna let her shoulders relax. She hadn't realized how tense she actually was until now. With her eyes going to Jade, she couldn't help but wonder if he really could be trusted. Uncomfortable with having to work with him, Reyna knew she had did this to herself. Having agreed to help had surprised her, but getting the boy to Grand Chokmah seemed to be the plan they were striving for. Perhaps meeting with Emperor Peony wouldn't be such a bad thing...

"Alright, the sea is just up ahead."

Thank Yulia! Reyna couldn't wait to get out of this small boat of death. Regular-sized boats were fine, but it was these small ones that made her feel like she wanted to hurl. If Jade made a sudden turn at this speed, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if one of them fell out. She was sure he wouldn't do that seeing as they were in no danger, so the chances of them getting to his ship were pretty good.

Until the other speedboats came into play.

"Those are the Order's boats!" More than a dozen boats were adjacent to them, having appeared not too far away. Anise also pointed out, "Those are Mohs' men."

Well wasn't this great? Her distraction hadn't lasted as long as she wanted, or that wouldn't have had to worry about this. Had something happen with Iris and the others?

What could have-

Jade swerved the boat, causing Reyna to stumble into the Fon Master and she took hold of him. While the boy looked at her with concern, she shook it off. No point in worrying the boy at this moment. Taking a few steps forward to where Jade was steering, her mind and heart raced. The very thought of falling into the water made her shudder.

Why had she agreed to this again?

Anise had taken this time to cast a fonic arte at the boats, taking down two or three of them. "Eep! I didn't think it'd be that strong. I really wish I could control the degree of it. I didn't want to seriously injure anyone too."

"Good thing for your fonic artes though, Anise." Reyna replied while her braid whipped around.

Anise didn't reply, which took the commander by surprise. Turning her head, she saw Anise's back and the woman wondered if she had even heard her.

Until the young Guardian asked, "Colonel Curtiss, do you have experience with dancing?"

Reyna raised a brow.

"I am somewhat experienced." Jade replied, pushing up his glasses. Reyna had no idea what was going on or what dancing had to do with their situation. "But isn't dancing something you do on the ground, Miss?"

"Anise, my name is Anise Tatlin. Despite my super cute appearance, I am a Fon Master Guardian and the youngest elite!~"

That actually got a laugh out of Reyna while Jade simply nodded his head. "Then let us see your skill, Anise."

Swerving the boat sharply, Anise tumbled off the side. The Fon Master cried out, rushing over to the side but Reyna managed to grab hold of him and pulled him back.

"Anise?!" He yelled from her arms.

Paying no mind, the girl used Tokunaga and somehow, she was in the air as her puppet grew in size. "Let's go!"

Anise came down, smashing into one of the boats before pushing off and landing another. A small sense of pride came from inside of Reyna as she watched the girl fly through the air, almost with elegance.

Though it seemed the Fon Master did not share the same sentiment as he called out to her. "Anise! Be careful! That looks dangerous!"

Placing a hand on his head, those green eyes glanced up at her. She could see it, the worry he had for the other Guardian. Reyna could understand and sympathize with him. However, Anise was capable of taking care of herself and him all at the same time. "Have faith in her. She's doing this for you, after all."

"Huh?"

"She's right." agreed Jade as he pushed his glasses up once more before turning to give him a soft smile. "You have some interesting companions."

Blinking, the boy's eyes went from Jade to Reyna before the smile appeared. "Yes, I do."

Glancing away, Reyna did her best not to scoff at him. Not that he would have heard her, but really! How could he smile like that wit-

"AHHH!"

"Oh?"

That had been the only warning she received as Jade maneuvered the boat to the yelp, causing her to stumble into. Grabbing hold of him, she struggled to keep her grip onto his arm. Damn these little boats and their habit of being so...stupid! She couldn't decide if she hated Mohs or these small boats more, but when Anise landed in the boat and water splashed over them, the boats were pulling ahead.

"Good job, Colonel." Anise smiled as she rubbed her head and let her puppet shrink.

Jade smiled back. "Same to you, Anise."

He turned his attention back to steering, though he did have a moment to give Reyna a curious look. Quickly letting go, her face redden from what she had just done. Coughing and playing it off, she tried to focus on something else.

And this something else turned out to be the fact they were now surrounded.

Glaring at the Oracle Knights in the other boats, she was glad that none of them were Gerard's division. For the moment, they needed to figure out a way to get out of this, lest they all be taken back to Daath. Reyna had a pretty good idea the interrogation that would follow wouldn't be good for any of them. If only Anise could use her fonic artes, but the commander could see that they had long distance weapons attached to their boats.

Damn Mohs! If Jade was smart as he liked to think himself, they be'd better think of a way to fix this.

"Please! Hold on tight. The boat might shake a bit." Reyna turned her attention to the Fon Master. He raised his hand and a great power flowed from him, the fonon gathering around him. It was to Reyna's horror that she realized what he was doing.

She had to stop him, she couldn't let him use that arte!

"No! Don-"

Symbols appeared around the area before light engulfed them all. Shielding her eyes with her arms, she was blinded. Still, that was nothing compared to the power she felt in the aftermath. Slowly, she removed her arms and to her astonishment, the men in the surrounding boats were all unconscious.

His powers were so much stronger than she originally thought...

"Wooooow." Anise looked on, amazed by the sight. Reyna, while still taken back by it, began to frown. "You took down everyone!"

"Mmm." The boy nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yes…but we should go befor-"

Seeing him wobble, Reyna acted quickly. Reaching the boy just as he passed out, she held him carefully in her arms as they went down. Jade and Anise were by her side in an instant as she brushed his hair from his face and checked over him.

"Ion?!" Anise peered closely at the boy and checked him out as well. Reyna gave her attention to Jade, who appeared concerned. Their eyes met and she simply shook her head.

Her eyes went back to the Fon Master.

What a stupid and foolish boy...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Welcome to end another chapter! For this particular chapter, I didn't do much to change it except move some names around because, again, I forgot Gerard should _not_ be there. Sometimes I want to smack myself in the face. Like the first time this chapter was uploaded, this is one of the small chapters, which I did not feel too inspired for, hence why even when I was working on the revision, this pretty much stayed the same.

I wonder if anyone noticed I took out Reyna's clothes description last chapter...ah. I'm actually redoing Reyna's outfit, so I'll try to see if I can get that done in my spare time and have commission someone to draw her in it. I'm glad I didn't change her hair, because I was considering doing it too! |:

Any and all reviews are appreciated. Thank you! Also, next chapter will have the most work done it during this revision thus far. You'll see soon it as soon as I get a bit more ahead.

**Preview  
>Chapter 4: Grand Chomah - <strong>Upon arriving to the capital of Malkuth, Grand Chokmah, the group meets with Emperor Peony who isn't exactly how they expect. After agreeing to help with their cause, the group learns that there is a delay in their plan. Unknown to the ones from Daath, something is happening in the shadow, something that may force them to change their plans.


	4. Grand Chokmah

**It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult **  
><strong>to look further than you can see.<strong>  
>-Winston Churchill<p>

* * *

><p>Keeping an eye on the boy as he slept soundly, Reyna felt like she wanted to be back at Daath already. After the stunt he pulled nearly a week ago, she had brooded over this journey. She shouldn't have agreed to it, but seeing as how they were almost to Malkuth, it was pretty redundant to still be having those thoughts.<p>

Hard to believe, though, that she would be in Grand Chokmah. Never had she thought she would see the place, having only heard and read about it. Even if it was the city capital surrounded by water, it still sounded like a pretty place.

Then her mind suddenly went back to Daath, worried for her Guardians and the state of things. Would they be alright? Had Mohs figured out Iris and the other's involvement? What would exactly happen when she, Anise, and the Fon Master returned? Surely they would be fine, yes?

She was worried.

When the Fon Master shifted in the bed, Reyna's attention went back to him. He still remained fast sleep and a sigh ended up leaving her mouth.

Perhaps she was being a big overprotective, seeing as how the Fon Master had been doing fine the last few days. Even if he had to use a Daathic Fonic Arte to help them out, he had been scolded by not just herself, but by Jade as well. It had surprised her, but the message had come across as clear and Reyna was sure that he wouldn't do anything drastic again.

At least she hoped so.

Since there wasn't much left to do, she left the boy to sleep. She needed to talk to Anise and discuss their next move for when they entered Grand Chokmah. They were the only two on duty for guarding the boy and even though they had Jade and the others, she was still skeptical of the colonel.

She was careful not to voice that skepticism considering this was _his_ ship.

She had left the room and had just made it down the hall when she ran into said colonel. "Well if it isn't Reyna. How is the Fon Master?"

His expression was unreadable, so her reply came out curtly. "He's good."

Jade smiled and gave a single nod, almost knowingly. It was something she disliked about him—it was as if he knew more than he let on.

Reyna wasn't too fond of those kind of people. Mohs was an example of that, but she didn't exactly hate Jade either. For the time being, he was just a neutral entity in her life. "I came to inform you that we're only a couple of hours away from Grand Chokmah. I believe the Fon Master is still sleeping, yes? If you wish, he can continue to res-"

"That's fine. He should be awake for this. I'll go do so."

Damn. She had just left his room too.

She had only just turned her back and began to walk back when the colonel called her name once more. Reyna glanced back, catching his gaze. Giving him a questioning look, she waited for whatever he was going to say to her.

Which turned out to be a question. "How long have you worked for the Order?"

Completely turning around to face him, she gave him another look. One that clearly said 'why the hell do you want to know'. "What is this, an interrogation? A bit late for that, don't you think?"

"I was merely curious about your time in the Order. You appear quite young to be the commander of the Fon Master Guardians."

It was hard to tell if that was a compliment or an insult.

She would admit, she was used to this. She wasn't _too_ young, at least, she didn't consider twenty-four all that young. Still, not many people actually asked as Jade had. They simply assumed and some people weren't always nice on the theories of how she got the position.

Reyna did give Jade points for, at least, being straight with her about that. She would be honest with him in return then. "I've been with the Order since I was fourteen. It was there that I joined the program for the Guardians. Though I can't say I was exactly satisfied about their regiment. They were too lax for my taste. Before I turned eighteen, I came to be a Fon Master Guardian, attending to Master Evenos once or twice. About two years ago, I was recommended by a few members and they inducted me into the role of commander. I've been in charge ever since."

Ten whole years she spent, though at the time, she hadn't expected to get where she was today.

"Interesting. I must say I am quite_impressed_, Reyna." She rolled her eyes ignoring that tone of voice he had.

"Uh huh." Reyna replied, waving her hand absently. "Now, if that answer satisfied you, I'll go awake the Fon Master."

"As you wish." Jade replied as she turned her back on him once more. Once she made her way back down the hall and to the boy's room, she became annoyed.

Jade was such an enigma, it made it difficult for her to have an understanding of him. Which actually made it hard for her to trust him. It felt like he was always two steps ahead of her and that rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't find herself in this situation too often, to be honest.

Pushing these thoughts form her head, she went to wake up the boy so they could attend to the task ahead.

.

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.

Reyna stayed by the Fon Master's side while they made their way off the ship. Both he and Anise seemed to be in awe of Grand Chokmah, which was understandable. Despite how uneasy she had felt earlier, seeing the city at this moment seemed to wash that all away. Grand Chokmah was truly beautiful and the commander could feel herself relaxing, even if it was just by a little bit, though she would never admit this aloud. Especially with not Jade around her.

Of course, she didn't need to say anything as Anise was more than vocal on her own opinions.

"Wow! Look at this place!" Her eyes glanced all around them, tugging on the Fon Master's sleeve and pointing to the water. "I guess I can see why they call it the floating capital!"

The boy smiled at her comment and nodded his head. "It is very beautiful and everyone seems so…"

"...peaceful." Reyna finished, her gaze kept ahead of the group.

Anise and the Fon Master didn't hear her apparently as they continued to talk. The place was so lively, just as different as Daath had been compared to Chesedonia.

At one point, she caught Jade's gaze before he shrugged. Rolling her eyes in return, she kept pace with Anise and the Fon Master. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and that was a good thing. It meant their minds weren't on the Daath situation. The Fon Master especially needed to focus on what laid ahead.

Their walk continued and while their presence did not go unnoticed, thanks to the soldier escort, they weren't stopped. Reyna kept her undivided attention on her surroundings and though it appeared as Anise was playing around, her stance told her otherwise. Other Guardians thought Anise wasn't serious about her job, but boy...were they wrong.

The girl could keep her own in a fight and she was quick to place herself danger and the Fon Master, keeping him safe at any cost.

It didn't go to say she wouldn't have minded bringing a few of her trusted Guardians for this, but Anise was no pushover. She trusted the girl to take this job as seriously as she did. Reyna had no doubts if something were to happen, she could count on Anise to back her up. She didn't train wish-washy Guardians.

They continued on their way to meet the Emperor.

.

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.

"…And that's how I met Jade Curtis!" concluded his majesty, Emperor Peony the Ninth, a weirdly stupid grin on his face. There were no right words to describe this man and the way he acted, you wouldn't expect him to be an Emperor. In fact, he was nothing like a ruler was expected to be...at all.

While Anise seemed to enjoy the obvious overelaborated story, the Fon Master appeared taken back. Reyna, herself, felt this urge to cover her face with her hands. On the one hand, this was a lot more at ease than she had thought it would be. On the other hand, this guy was so easy-going, she felt this urge to just walk out right now. His clothes and postured added to this feeling. It was like he was at leisure with all of this, though if she had to compliment him on anything, she supposed he was handsome.

Like a bum...

"Your Majesty, could we please discuss the reason we are here?" asked one of the men near Peony, the oldest one there. Sesemann was his name, she believed.

"You got it." Reyna had to stop herself from sighing out of relief. "So, Fon Master, you seemed to agree with my plea for peace. There have been rumors that Kimlasca plans to invade Malkuth territory and it's put my people on edge. I would like to send a representative to Kimlasca with a letter that would help smooth things over."

The Fon Master nodded his head. "And this is why you requested aid from the Order?"

"Exactly. I'll be sending Jade along as well, but it would be easier if we had the Order's help to ensure that nothing unpleasant happens."

"I'd be glad to help, your Majesty."

As they discussed the plans, Anise nudged Reyna's side as discretely as she could manage and whispered, "Do you think this will go over good? Mohs has the King of Kimlasca in the back of his pocket, doesn't he?"

Shrugging and giving the younger Guardian a look that said they would talk about it later, Reyna kept her head forward. What Anise said was correct, though she didn't voice this for the fact that it was knowledge only known within the Guardians' inner circle and Mohs' own faction. It wasn't wrong for the Emperor to believe that the Fon Master could likely persuade King Ingobert, but if they weren't careful, this might be what fueled the flames of an oncoming war.

Which rather worrisome.

One would think that they could avoid war, but with how Mohs had been, that wasn't the case. It bothered her and maybe, just a little, she felt glad that she had come along.

When the two leaders were done talking, both of Peony's subordinates that they would bring it up with the council and that an official document would be given to them in a few hours.

Which meant one thing.

"Yes! We can walk around the city some more!" Anise exclaimed, already grabbing the Fon Master's hand and taking off.

Reyna let out an exhausted sigh.

"You sound tired." Jade commented as he came to stand by her. With that smile on his face, she had no doubt he was enjoying this.

Shaking her head, she replied back. "You try dealing with her every day. Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to go get a few supplies. That won't be much trouble, will it?"

"No, it shouldn't be. We'll be here for another hour or so. We'll all meet back at the docks, so I'll make sure to tell Anise and Ion in the meanwhile."

"Thanks."

Waving at him, Reyna set off.

First, she'd like to stop by one of the medical shops since they had the better quality of gels than the common item shop. Plus, since she was in Malkuth, there was the high probability that they had a wider variety of weapons than they did in Daath.

After a bit of wander, she found one shop that sold some gels, stocking up on apple and orange gel. They were out of lemon gels, but that was fine. Reyna didn't think she'd need something that expensive anyway.

The people of the shop had been kind enough to point out where one of the districts where a few weapon and armor shops had set up. She paid careful attention, hoping that she wouldn't get lost and set off, knowing she probably had some time left before she needed to head back to the others.

A little while later, Reyna thought she had just spotted the weapon shop when she collided into someone.

Her footing was off and she ended up landing on her backside. Nearly letting out a curse, Reyna was just glad she hadn't damaged the gels or anything else. She was about to get up herself when a hand appeared and she quickly grasped it. Being pulled up, she caught sight of the person who she ran into. Black hair, styled and slicked back, icy blue eyes, and from his attire, the Guardian was going to assume him to be a noble of sorts. If she had to guesstimate his age, he was likely in his twenty's, maybe closer to her age.

He laughed, an embarrassed one. "I apologize! I had been in such a hurry, when I turned that corner, I ran straight into you. Are you okay?"

Her natural response might have been a 'yeah', but realizing that this guy was, indeed, a noble, she quickly resumed a stance of a soldier and gave a bow of her head. "It's perfectly fine. I merely was walking our here to find supplies."

"You're an Order member, are you not?" Her clothes must have given it away. "I heard Fon Master Ion was here. Will you give him my thoughts and prayers?"

"Of course and he will appreciate them." People always wanted to let the boy know he was doing a great job, even if they didn't know what was truly going on at Daath. How very bothersome. "If you'll excuse me."

To her surprise, the male grasped her hand and shook it with enthusiasm. "Thank you. I hope you have a blessed day." He squeezed it one last time before he brushed pass her and continued on his way.

Turning to look at him one last time, Reyna glanced down at her hand. That was…unusual.

Shaking off the weird feeling, Reyna went toward her destination. However, after arriving a few minutes later to the district, she noticed the more prominent weapon shop was closed for repairs. This was frustrating and even though she checked out the smaller one, it didn't have anything worth her interest.

With nothing else to be done, the Guardian headed back.

It wasn't long before her thoughts went back to the man she had met. There was something off about him, at least she thought so. If she was given the time, she'd look into it. Perhaps she might mention the guy to Jade, though she could say this on a hunch. She could simply leave it alone for now, especially since they wouldn't be here much longer. Reyna didn't want to become involved in anything else considering how deep she was already an—

"Reyna!" With her name called out, she took her attention back to where she was. Her eyes saw the pink uniform and knew that it was Anise.

Seeing the other waving her arms and for a moment, Reyna panicked. Had something happen? Had the Fon Master been hurt? Yet, as the girl came bouncing toward her, nothing seem to be upsetting her. So it was safe to assume they were fine for the moment. "Jeez, could you take any longer?"

"I could, but I suppose I'm faster than the normal person."

Ah, there was the pout she was used to seeing from the girl as she rushed over and tugged at the older Guardian's arm. "C'mon! We have to hurry back since we're going to be leaving soon!"

"Did they finish already?"

Nodding her head impatiently, Anise continued to pull. "Something like that, but something came up too and now they want us to head out soon! I'll explain more once we get on the land dreadnaught we're going to be taking."

"Wait, wait. I thought we were going by sea?" This was certainly a development she hadn't expected. She was becoming concerned, actually.

"I'll tell you what I know once we get back. The Colonel had me come get you since you were taking forever! I mean, how long does it take to ship, anyway?"

"Excuse me, I had to get few of things for us." A dramatic huff followed by, "And I want a 'thank-you', since I _actually_ got you something."

Anise stopped and turned around, her face lighting up. "**_Really_**? Can I see it?!"

"No." Reyna deadpanned.

"Booo!"

The duo made it to the entrance of the city, not the port. When Reyna saw the Fon Master waiting by Jade, she felt herself relax. At least nothing appeared wrong with him and that's all really mattered to her in the end. Whatever this was for, she could deal with it later. Seeing Jade with an amused expression, she frowned at him to which he only shrugged.

"Let's not dawdle now. We've wasted enough time, don't you think, Reyna?" That earned Jade a scowl from her as she took to the Fon Master's side. "Now that we're all present, let us be on our way."

Quickly falling into her place by the Fon Master's side, Anise happily joined the boy on his other side. It was at this point that Jade explained that they would be taking the land dreadnaught, the _Tartarus_. When she asked the reason by this decision, he told her that there had been food thefts at Engeve. This caused her to raise an eyebrow at him. They were going by land because of some thieves?

From the look he gave her, she knew there was more to this than what he told her, but he was strictly keeping it to himself. Though there was, apparently, thefts going on and the Fon Master was concerned about that since they could spare the time. After all, it would just take a bit longer for the letter of peace to be approved.

Once the Council had finished, the letter would be sent via carrier pigeon.

As soon as they were on their own, she would need to ask Anise what she knew. This all seemed a little over the top, but whatever. She preferred land than sea.

An hour or so later, once they were aboard and settled, she asked Anise to accompany her for a few moments. The Fon Master worried something had happen between them, but she quickly reassured him they were just going to discuss a few things—that he didn't need to worry. After leaving him to himself, the two Guardians left the room and walked down the hall. Reyna made a comment or two about the dreadnaught, while Anise kind of mused over it herself. It was mindless chit-chat until they arrived at an observation deck.

That was when they really talked.

"Tell me what you know, Anise."

Hands on the rail, she leaned over a bit. "Apparently there has been a problem in Grand Chokmah lately. I didn't get too much information on what it was, but the city wasn't safe for Ion, at least that's what I got from the Colonel. He made an off-handed comment about what had been happening at Engeve, which was when Ion asked if they could look into because the Council had been delayed by something."

By something?

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. It must have been pretty serious because just before me and Ion headed back to the docks, a few of the soldiers were running around." Shrugging, she paused and appeared to be thinking carefully back on her and the boy's walk. "I think Ion noticed, but I was able to get him back to the Colonel before he asked. I just had a bad feeling about it, especially with how the people looked."

"That is concerning. It must have been in another part of the city, since when I was shopping, everything was fine except one of the weapon shops being closed."

"Oh!" Anise eyes were round as she gave her full attention to Reyna. "I was talking to a few people, asking for directions while people were around Ion, but they mentioned that someone's business had been hit pretty bad! I asked if it was some thieves, but they wouldn't tell me. It was just how they acted, it felt like something more."

Reyna thought about this, putting a hand on her hip. "It said repairs, though it didn't specify what kind. Maybe they have a criminal on the loose?"

"That sounds kind of bad, especially since Ion was in the same city. I'm glad we left then!"

Nodding in agreement, they exchanged more details, but with nothing else that was concrete, they gave up. Anise waved her off as she headed back to the Fon Master while Reyna said she was going to check in with Jade. Perhaps she could get him to mention it or drop a hint or two in her direction. Whatever it was, Reyna was glad herself that they had left when they did.

It didn't take too long for her to find the command center. Entering, Jade gave her one look before his eyes went back to the front. His soldiers gave off reports and he, in return, gave out a few commands. She waited patiently for him to finish so she wouldn't take his attention away from his crew.

After a few moments, he turned back to her. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. What brings you here, Reyna?"

"I thought you might answer a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I might be able to answer them. Depends on the question, since I can't give away secrets of our empire."

A scoff followed, but Reyna waved off the comment. "Just...curious about why one of your weapon shops was closed."

It was a subject that she could ease into, which might lead to what was going on at Grand Chokmah.

"If I recall correctly, they were closed for repairs."

Crossing her arms, she continued. "Vandalism?"

"Perhaps. I haven't looked at the investigation reports, though I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Is that so?" Damn it, how was she going to even bring this up? "Are we far from Engeve? I mean, this feels like quite the detour."

"That it is, but I suppose I haven't told you about the reports of the Dark Wings."

"Dark...Wings? They sound familiar..."

Realizing that she didn't recognize who the 'Dark Wings' were exactly, Jade explained quickly. "Bandits who have been plaguing both Malkuth and Kimlasca. I have heard they call themselves vigilantes however."

Reyna nearly laughed at that. "So you're thinking that these bandits have been stealing from Engev-"

"Commander! Vehicle ahead. We believe it to be the Dark Wings!"

Their conversation cut short, Jade went back to his post and gave out orders.

Deciding to watch how this played, she took note of how he managed everything in a calm and precise manner. Reyna mused over the fact that he was simply _just_ a colonel and not a rank or three higher. In a way, she could consider this a lesson since they never gave Guardians much to work with. Most of what she understood about commands and what Iris knew of strategy was based on book knowledge and experimentation. Hence why training and exercises were essentially very important for them.

As she watched the colonel, the chase had begun.

What came as surprising was how long it lasted. Maybe it was just long by her standards since, after all, she never had to chase anyone down, much less while in a dreadnaught. Jade kept issuing out orders, his focus was on the vehicle that displayed on his screen at his station. The commander moved close enough to catch a glimpse, blinking at the design. Reyna had never seen anything like it before. It was smaller than a carriage and it didn't rely on horses or anything else to pull it.

The Tartarus began to fire at the bandits, but that didn't stop it. It zigged and zagged and Reyna had to say she was impressed with the driver. She wasn't sure if she could handle the pressure of driving while avoiding cannons.

"Commander! A stagecoach is up ahead."

It took her a moment to realize he wasn't talking to her as Jade said, "Civilians? The Dark Wings must have luck on their side."

"You don't believe in luck, do you?"

Jade gave her a quick glace before an actually smirk played on his lips. "Of course not." He pressed some switch in front of his command post and leaned in to a device. "You there! Move your coach before you're caught in the crossfire."

Too bad for the people in the other carriage.

Reyna didn't even know when they passed the stagecoach, but the chase continued on. This was honestly becoming more interesting by the second. If they managed to catch the Dark Wings, would that mean they could head back to Malkuth? Then maybe, they could look into what the hell was going on back at the capital. Though what was important was making sure this peace treaty went through and from there, they could head back to Daath.

It was just something fishy was going on back at Grand Chokmah and Reyna wanted to know what.

"The enemy has crossed Rotelro Bridge! They seem to be putting gunpowder on the bridge!"

What? Gunpowder?

"My, my. They intend to drop the bridge, do they?" Jade seemed amused by this. Meanwhile, Reyna stared at his back like he was crazy. If they were using gunpowder, did that mean-?!

"Fon slot activation detected!" shouted one soldier.

Another one yelled, "The enemy set off the fonic artes using the Fifth Fonon! The bridge is going to explode!"

What?!

"Tartarus, full stop. Activate fonic barrier." Jade, as before, continued to keep his cool and gave a clear command without a second thought. It was...impressive, to be honest.

The Tartarus slowed down just as Rotelro went ablaze. The landship shook just a bit but thanks to the barrier, they were left with little to no damage. She might have been a bit worried, but Jade managed this off as it were the easiest thing in all of Auldrant.

He just finished giving out more instructions when he turned to look at her, feigning surprise. "You're still here? I would have surely thought you would have rushed off to see Ion and Anise."

She pursed her lips. "I will go check on them in a moment, but I'd stay here for most of the ride of _that_."

"Oh really? Must have been a **_blast_**."

Reyna couldn't help but let out a laugh. "_Wow_, I can't believe you just said that. Okay, I get the point. I'm going." Before she turned to leave, Reyna gave Jade one final look. "I'll check in later. We'll be in Engeve by then, right?"

"Here's hoping so."

She didn't even look back as she headed out.

It didn't take her very long to get back, but when she did, both Anise and the Fon Master launched questions at her. She could only sigh as she begun to explain what ordeal happened while they had been stuck in the room. If only they could be at Engeve right now...

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hello my beautiful and wonderful readers! Whether you are new or old, I hope this chapter was a good read for you. For those of you that are old readers, this is a chapter you must read and though it may not seem different at first, you can't miss the slight intro of someone who become important later on. I'd say more, but I'll keep my mouth closed for now!

I added a bunch, hence why this chapter is longer and it flows so much better than it did a year ago. Still, if you notice any mistakes, please point them out. My brain can be pretty dumb at night, but I do reread over these chapters before I upload them now, so hopefully there isn't any?

**Chapter 5: Thefts at Engeve** **-** While investigating Engeve, Ion and Reyna find out who the real culprits may be. Though Ion is determined to help out, Reyna reminds him what their current goal is. Having to spend the night at Engeve, Rose offers her house as hospitality for them, which Jade accepts. Things appear fine until the next when Reyna makes an upsetting discovery.


	5. Thefts at Engeve

**It's just one of those days where you wonder 'why me'.  
><strong>-N/A.

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><p>"It looks very quaint." complimented the Fon Master as Anise walked by his side and nodded her head in agreement.<p>

Having decided to make their way through the outskirts of the town, the group of four continued on their way. Jade had taken the lead on this dirt path while Reyna took up the rear. While the two younger ones took to chatting about Engeve and all the produce that would be there, Reyna kept her focus on their surroundings. Even if they might have been close to the town, that didn't mean a monster weren't far off.

"Excuse me!"

They all turned around to see a girl waving her arm back and forth as she trotted up to them. She was a brunette with a slender build and her garments indicated she must travel around quite a bit. However, one thing that stood out was the necklace she wore. This necklace was in the shape of half a heart with a tiny embroidered flower and if she was correct, the metal was gold. If must have been expensive, which didn't offset her and almost gave a balance to her appearance in a way.

"You're going to Engeve too, right?"

The boy smiled and nodded his head. "Yes we are. Who might you be?"

"Azaelia Hilt, but you can call me Zae!" She gave a slight bow before grinning at the group. "Do you mind if I walk with you guys?"

Reyna's eyes narrowed, observing the girl to get more of a feel for her. Nothing seemed off about her, but that didn't mean she couldn't be dangerous. Though, with how excitable the girl become once they agreed to let her walk with them, it made it difficult to think badly of her.

The girl was like an overexcited puppy, to be perfectly honest.

"Thanks!" Bouncing over to stand on Reyna's side, she continued. "Though I must admit, you guys look a little fancier than the people from around here. Where might you all be from? Oh! Let me guess! You're..." Zae put a finger to her lip, a thoughtful expression. "…super spies?!"

A large smile appeared on her face.

Feigning surprise, Reyna caught the girl's eyes. "How did you figure us out?"

Zae's mouth formed an 'O' and she was about to say something when Jade turned to add his input. "Now, now Reyna. We can't let everyone know we're on a top secret mission."

Anise jumped right in.

"Yeah Reyna! We're probably going to have to kill her..." It took so much not to start laughing right there, especially with the expression Anise wore at the words she just said.

"Are you guys serious?" Zae whispered, almost like she was afraid to speak out loud.

The older Guardian thought about telling her it was just a joke except Jade seemed want to poke fun at her one more time. "Quite serious. We're going to have to take you in for questioning before-"

The girl waved her hands around, literally bouncing on her feet. . "Oh, no no no! I can't be taken in! I have to meet up with my..._betrothed._" She said this with such a dreamy look, Reyna nearly rolled her eyes. "The only one that has my heart and I have his. So you see! I can't be kept away from him!"

Like it was the most obvious fact in the whole world.

That actually got the boy to laugh as he finally revealed the truth to her. "It's alright. They were just joking around. We're not going to take you in or anything."

Zae's eyes widen while Anise let out a chuckle. "Yeah, we're just kidding! But anyway, you have a fiancé?" With a nod of her head, Anise pestered her more about it. "Ohhh! What's he like?"

Almost instantly, Zae went into great detail. "He is the most handsome man I've ever met and he's definitely the most perfect person for me!" Zae cheeks flushed as she let out a small squeak and went on about a man she had recently become engaged to. He apparently was a traveling merchant of small trinkets, but he dreamed of becoming a novelist. She went on and on, with Reyna tuning her out as she began to go into the story of them meeting 'by fate'. While Anise seemed to eat it up, the Fon Master listen happily, which didn't surprise her all that much and she had only just caught a bemused smile on Jade's face.

Finally, they arrived just outside of Engeve when Zae stopped mid-sentence. "Ah! We're here already? That's great then! Thanks for letting me tag along, but I need to go find my Anthony!"

Waving, the girl quickly wandered off.

"That one has too much energy for her own good..." Sighing, Reyna could only shake her head.

Jade shrugged. "Oh I don't know, she was an interesting one, to say the least."

Anise added in her own two gald. "I wish I could have met her fiancé. I bet they act all lovey-dovey."

"She was very nice. I liked how her story-telling very much." And there was the Fon Master being nice and all.

Their encounter with Zae over, the group continued on. Reyna kept a watch on their surroundings, but it seemed relatively safe. Still, even if they were in Malkuth territory, Reyna couldn't let her guard down. It wasn't long before they arrived at the market place, which obviously was one of the busier places here. Jade mentioned that the one in charge of the hamlet was a woman by the name of Rose and that her house should be nearby.

However, like in Grand Chokmah, their presence didn't go unnoticed.

"Is that the Fon Master?"

"Can't be. Why would he be _here_?"

"Well two of them are wearing stuff Order members would wear, right? They must be from Daath!"

"'Cept tha' one in blue and wearing glasses. He's from the Malkuth military."

It wasn't a surprise that they were attracting attention. It didn't seem to bother Jade too much nor the boy. For Reyna and Anise, they kept on high alert, despite the fact that the younger of the two was smiling and talking to the boy. It wasn't likely they were going to be attacked, but one couldn't be too careful with the Fon Master around.

"Hey! Tom, I heard Kelly sayin' the storehouse was raided again." Her eyes searched for the source of the voices. To her right were two men talk and already walking away. This didn't escape the boy's attention either. "It was probably those thieves! C'mon, let's go check it out!"

"Jade." said the Fon Master. "Is it alright if I go check out the storehouse that they were talking about?"

"I don't see a problem with it." The colonel gave his attention to Reyna. "Of course, if Miss Milas has an objection...?"

"Whatever the Fon Master wishes." Reyna replied back, not missing a beat.

"Then I will go on ahead and set things up with Rose."

Nodding his head, the Fon Master took the lead as Jade went forward. Anise and Reyna both hovered closer to the boy as they followed the men to this storehouse they mentioned. Wondering if they would find anything, Reyna hoped that this wasn't a bigger mess they were getting themselves involved in. Though, it couldn't all that bad, could it?

It would be nice if they could kill two birds with one stone.

As the trio arrived, Anise was the first to mention that there was already a crowd. At this point, Reyna took the lead to push a way through for the boy while Anise would take up the rear. There wasn't too much shoving, thankfully, and when they got to the door, the Fon Master took talking to the man closest to them.

"Excuse me, are you Kelly?"

Opening his mouth to reply, he stopped. Perhaps because they weren't civilians and were definitely from out of town or maybe this guy knew it was the leader of the Order he was talking to. Regardless, he stuttered out a reply. "Y-yes, I am. Do you need something?"

The boy smiled, hoping to ease this Kelly guy. "I hope it's not too much, but if I may have a look inside, I would be interesting in helping out in finding who the thief is."

Taking note of the boy gripping his staff and Anise close by with her hands on her hip, Reyna almost laughed as she realized her arms were crossed casually. It was a wonder what they appeared like to this man and the people around them.

"Oh! Please don't trouble yourself by this, Fon Master."

Ah, so he did realize who the boy was.

"It's fine, really. Would you please just let me have a quick look?" And there was those puppy eyes at work. So maybe the boy had no idea he had them, but when he became earnest, it was almost impossible to deny him his requests.

Plus, who wanted to argue with the Fon Master?

Mohs, probably.

Leading them inside, the group passed the front counter and with a quick survey of the area, the commander noted that this building acted as an inn of sorts. She saw a couple of rooms that had beds in them and a small rest area. It was an interesting set-up, not all that surprising either. How many people actually stayed here, she wondered.

When they passed through another door, Reyna immediately saw the damage that was done to the storage room.

It was a mess and a good chunk was obviously missing. Without missing a beat, the Fon Master was already checking out the scene while Anise helped him out. She took a step closer, trying to see if anything stood out. Who would do such a thing to this place? Did they want to disrupt the flow of food getting to around the world? That might certainly do the job, considering the fact that source of income from this town was everything they grew and raised, plus exporting it.

No wonder it was such a big deal, all of these thefts.

"I wonder if there are any clues here..." the boy mused to himself, continuing to work. Anise was already searching another part while Reyna took a few steps around as she continued to search herself.

"Anise." Reyna said, calling the girl's attention. "Will you go ask around and see what's all been stolen, not just today but since this has started?"

A pout followed, but she nodded her head. "Okay, but you better not take your eyes off of Ion or he'll just go off on his own!"

"Anise..."

The girl was already on her way as the other two went on with their search. This went on for a couple of minutes before the boy let out an "Oh!" and Reyna made her want over to him as he picked something up from behind a crate. "Look, it's cheagle fur."

Well then.

"You don't suppose it was cheagles that did this, did you?" Surely it was just a coincidence, though she didn't know if she could rule out that the people of Engeve had added to raising cheagles for Auldrant's cuisine. "That would be quite strange..."

"I believe it must be and it would make sense. They live in this area from what I read." A sudden look of determination appeared on his face. "We have to do something then. Cheagles are sacred to the Order, plus they're herbivores. They shouldn't have to steal human food. Why would they?"

Why indeed. Shrugging, she added, "Perhaps it wasn't cheagles. It's possible one was just in here when-"

"There's more behind that crate. It wasn't just a cheagle, there was more."

Reyna raised a brow at him, not used to him cutting her off. Holding the fur in his hand, he looked convinced of this.

One hand on her hip, she sighed. "Perhaps it would be best to inform Rose then. She's the one in charge of this place, isn't she? She'd know how to deal with it."

Green eyes met her steady gaze. "Shouldn't we do som-"

Now it was her turn to interrupt. "We're on a tight schedule, Fon Master. Unless, of course, you want to put cheagles before war. It's in our best interest to report to Rose this evidence and let her take care of it." She could see that her words had come out harsher than she intended, making her feel bad just a bit. However, she would stand her ground. "We need to focus on our current task."

Lowering his head, he said, "I suppose you're right."

Damn it.

"We should go meet with Jade. It's likely he's with that Rose woman."

Nodding his head, he finally looked up at her. "What about Anise?"

"We can tell the man, Kelly, to tell her where we're going. She'll find us, I'm sure." Besides, it would take longer if they waited for the other Guardian to show up. It would be best to just head over to where Rose lived and hopefully find Jade there. "Let's go."

Exiting, the duo noticed that the man from before was gone. The Fon Master looked to her and she could only shrug, mentioning she had faith in Anise to find them. With not much else of a choice, they headed out.

Once outside, Reyna was glad to see that the crowd was gone. She kept close to the boy and though they stopped briefly to ask where Rose lived, they mostly kept to themselves. She lived in a house on a small hill, not too far from where they had parted with Jade. It grew quiet between them while their walk continued. The Guardian kept her guard up, glancing around every so often and keeping the Fon Master's movements in mind.

Not too long later, did the boy break the silence.

"Reyna?"

"Yes, Fon Master?"

He hesitated, gripping his staff tightly and kept his gaze ahead. "What I'm do is the right thing, isn't it? I don't exactly regret leaving Daath, but is this something I can really do? Stopping a war from happening?"

No answer came immediately, losing herself in thought of what he just asked. Funny, how she only now realized she wasn't the only one that had doubts about leaving Daath. Even when Jade and Malkuth showed no ill intentions and their cause was truly for the good, it still bothered her. Deciding to answer as best she could, Reyna said, "If there is anyone I put faith in, it's you. After all, you are the Fon Master."

He turned to catch her eyes. His eyes and face remained passive, unreadable. "Yes, you're right. I _am_ the Fon Master."

It grew quiet between them once more.

At long last, they found a path that lead to Rose's house. Seeing the house not too far off, she did notice that it was larger than the rest of places around her. Perhaps not as fancy or anything like to that extent that indicated her importance, but it had more of a homey and cozy feel to it. It gave her an idea of who this woman may be as a person, though her thoughts stopped when both her and the Fon master noticed a couple of men at the front the door that was plainly open, as if they were watching something.

"What do you suppose is going on?"

Shaking her head, she gestured for them to continue on.

When they were close enough, they could hear the commotion.

"-the Dark Wings have been chased off by the Malkuth military to the other side of Rotelro bridge." This came from a female, at least Reyna thought so.

They got closer and Reyna was tall enough just to see a bit beyond the men. She was only able to catch a glimpse of someone with brown hair, their back to her and also, someone with red hair next to said brunette. She tried to see who else was here, but was unable to, though she did hear Jade's voice and that meant that Rose had to be there, else he wouldn't be in her house, right?

It was then that the Fon Master, who had been listening intently to the conversation, stepped forward. "Besides, it appears the thieves aren't human either."

The group of men turned and when they noticed who it was, moved out of the way. Reyna kept close to the Fon Master as he moved into the house. This was when she received a full view of the girl she believed to have spoken and the other one, a red-haired boy. Meeting the gaze of the girl, the Guardian had a moment where she seemed familiar and for the life of her, Reyna couldn't place how she knew her. Her clothes gave off a distinct Order feel to it, but to which division she was from, she hadn't a clue.

And that didn't explain why she was next to the redhead, whom she checked on next. His clothes were not from around her, most definitely and she was pretty sure they weren't Malkuthian either, but who was she to say as such? She was used to Daath's clothes and styles.

"Fon Master Ion." Jade said, before his eyes went to her. She gave a nod, but said nothing.

"I investigated the food storage with Anise and Reyna and I found this in the corner of the room." Reyna was the boy's shadow as he moved forward to give Rose the fur. Her eyes remained strictly ahead and on the boy, even when she could feel the brunette's eyes on her. Later, if permitted, she would find how who this girl was. It would bother her otherwise.

Placing the fur in her hand, Rose took a closer examination of it and said, "This is the fur from a sacred cheagle."

The boy gave a nod in confirmation. "Yes, it was probably a cheagle or rather, a group of cheagles that raided your storehouse."

"See! I told you I wasn't your stupid thief!" Turned her head just as the boy did, they caught the redhead as his attention were on the men from earlier, who looked embarrassed at this moment.

Reyna also saw a brief look of irritation flash across the girl's face before she added in a scolding manner, "But you did eat the apple without paying. You need to learn not to do things that'll make you look suspicious."

"How was I supposed to know? I didn't know I had to pay." Reyna raised an eyebrow. Who didn't know that you had to pay for things from a market?

Rose clapped her heads together. "Alright, alright, alright. Now that we know the truth, let's get back to work." The older woman seemed to want to get things back on track and while the men went to apologize and leave, Reyna turned her attention back to the Fon Master, who was in conversation with Jade.

"And you're doing alright, Ion?"

Nodding his head, he elaborated on their findings and added that Anise was likely still checking things out for them. By this point, everyone had left and the Fon Master took this opportunity to asked, "So is the letter here?"

"Not yet. It appears it will be delayed until tomorrow." Jade shrugged. "When, they're not exactly sure."

Rose smiled and offered, "Since you have to wait until tomorrow, you all could say at my place."

Looking at Jade, the man offered a smile to Rose. "That is a kind offer and we'll take you up on it."

"You're very kind, Rose.

The plump woman let out a chuckle. "I welcome you to my humble abode then."

They all sat down at a table, chatting for a bit. Rose went to go get tea for them when the door flew open. "ION!"

She heard the taps across the floor before Anise appeared in her view. "Reyna! How could you leave without telling me where you two went?! I thought the you two had got lost or-"

Reyna did her best to try to calm the girl down as Rose came back to check in after Anise's loud entrance. All the while, she could see in the corner of her eyes that Jade was thoroughly enjoying this.

Reyna did her best to tune out Anise's outburst while drinking her tea but Jade's chuckle made her glare at him. He was enjoying this, wasn't he?

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.

"Is he asleep?" With a nod of confirmation from Anise, Reyna relaxed. "Good."

"Rose has a really nice place, doesn't she?" Anise asked while they walked into the living room. With a slight bounce in her step, the younger continued to happy chat with her. Since Reyna had promised to buy her sweets when she got back to Daath, it wasn't surprising for her to be happy. One of these days, she was going to have a talk with Oliver and Pamela about their daughter's sweet tooth.

"I suppose." Pausing, Reyna touched her head. Anise caught this and gave her a look of concern. "Sorry, I just have a small headache."

Anise still looked worried and open her mouth to probably say as much when it was someone else that spoke instead. "That doesn't sound good. Perhaps you should lay down, Reyna."

Both Guardians turned to see Jade, a smile on his face. How long had he been there?

"Mm, I'll be fine. I might try to go to bed earlier than I intended."

"You're used to going to be pretty late, huh?" Anise crossed her arms and looked like she was thinking on something. "Probably because of Stephen, right? He's always getting into trouble, so you have reports to do on him. Jeez..."

A snort followed. "Pretty much, but he's not the only one. I remember when you did damage to the dining hall and you hadn't even been with the Guardians for a week."

"Boo!" Huffing, she placed both of her hands on her hip. "That's not playing fair, Reyna! Besides, I wasn't the one that 'accidentally' exploded one of storage rooms!"

Reyna put a hand to her face, not forgetting the incident. Oh how Stephen and Uresa had paid that day...

"Oh do continue. It seems the Order has its fun moments, doesn't it?" Reyna glared at Jade as he pushed up his glasses.

While Anise went on for a bit about the other Guardians, Reyna rubbed her head. Maybe Jade was on to something about her getting rest. She had been on edge ever since she decided to come along on this trip and thus, she had been neglecting the need to rest as often as she should. It was worse than the first few weeks as a new commander. A part of her didn't want to complain, having to get used to working under this pressure. Another part of her chastised this idea since she would want one of her Guardians or the Fon Master to get more rest when _they_ needed it.

"Reyna?"

Brought back, her eyes landed on Anise. "Hmm?"

"You kind of zoned out there. Why don't you head to bed early? I'll keep watch over Ion for a bit before I head to bed myself." Anise almost sounded grown up. Sometimes Reyna forgot that most of her Guardians grew up so fast, either by circumstance or because of the Guardian program. Maybe she was forcing them to grow up like she had to, all these years ago...

"If you're sure. It might do me some good to get some rest."

The pig-tailed girl grinned. "Exactly! I'll keep the Colonel company too!~"

"You have fun with that." With a roll of her eyes and wave at the two others, Reyna walked down the hall to the bedroom her and Anise would be sharing.

Getting ready for sleep didn't take very long and soon, she was lying in bed. However, sleep was not coming. She tossed and turned before finally sitting up. Reyna was becoming frustrated with herself, especially as of late. It wasn't like her to have uncertainties, especially after so long and the fact that she couldn't sleep because all of these doubts bothered her.

Was she against the idea? Was she beginning to see where she had been wrong in her morals? But what could you expect? No matter how many years passed, the deep and burning desire never left her and the Guardian had made the decision to follow her own path. While it may have crossed with others, Reyna never felt the need to hesitate. She kept her head forward and never stopped to look back.

She couldn't, not after that day.

No, she had no more doubts. She was going to decide that right here, right now. There might be moments were she might stop, but to keep her head high and her face forward, there was never to be worries in her actions. She made this choice for herself and no one else was going to give her reason to doubt this.

Reyna knew who she was.

With that mindset, she laid back down and tried to get some sleep.

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.

Braiding her hair as she sat on her bed, she heard shuffling from the other bed Anise occupied. As she finished with her hair, Anise came into view as she rubbed her eyes. "You're already up and ready? But the sun's barely even up!"

With bedhead and in her night clothes, Reyna let out a chuckle as the girl yawned. Closing her eyes, she hugged Tokunaga closer to her body.

"I'll check in on the Fon Master. You can lay on my bed for and sleep for another ten minutes."

"Just ten?!" she whined before flopping onto Reyna's bed. Not even a minute later, with her body curled up, there was light breathing coming from Anise.

Sighing, she moved from the bed to a nearby chair to put on her tabard over her underclothing. With everything else ready, Reyna gave one last glance at Anise's sleeping form before she smiled. She was grateful to the other Guardian, since sleeping early had helped with the headache. She felt refreshed and more convicted than before.

Leaving the room, she walked down the hallway. Just as she went around the corner, Reyna ran into Rose. Still in her night clothes, the moment the older woman caught sight of her, she smiled.

"Good morning, Miss Reyna. You're certainly up early."

"Mm." With a nod of her head, she elaborated. "Duty dictates me to do as such. I have to check in with the Fon Master and attend to him as his Guardian."

A gentle and warm laugh left Rose. "You're very dedicated. It's good to see someone like you with the Fon Master. The other one too. She's so young, but it's clear she's just as dedicated to this job as you are. You must both care deeply for him."

Reyna's lips parted, but there was a pause to consider her words. It was hard to define what she was feeling exactly at this moment. Rose had caught her off-guard.

"He is the Fon Master." Her reply was simple, but she was quick to change the subject. "If I may inquire, though, why are you up so early yourself?"

"Oh yes. I was going to check in on everyone and it appears that Colonel Curtiss is up and ready! I thought it would be nice to have some tea and breakfast made for you all." Jade was already up? Surely he had gone to bed later than her, hadn't he? If he was up before her, this just proved that she needed to work harder to keep her endurance up. "If the Fon Master is awake, I'll set out an extra cup for him and you as well."

"Thank you, Rose. Let me go check in on him." Leaving it at that, Reyna passed by Rose on her way to the boy's room.

She didn't think that the Fon Master would be awake, but she had to check to be sure. Arriving, she open the door and peering in, Reyna's eyes going to bed.

However, when she saw it empty, she froze. Pushing the door open and walking in, the Guardian rushed over to the bed, pulling the blankets apart. Checking under the bed, in the closet, and just about everywhere else in the room, the Fon Master wasn't there. She cursed, until she finally noticed the window was ajar.

After checking it, she came to one conclusion.

Damnit!

She whipped around, walking out of the room and down the hall until she came to where the living room and kitchen met. Seeing Jade and Rose turn to give her their attention, Jade had only just started to open his mouth to say something, but Reyna beat him to it. "He's gone."

There wasn't time to notice their looks of surprise before Reyna elaborated. "I checked his room, every corner and he's not there. I noticed the window was open, but I'm unsure if he left on his own or if someone came into the night."

Though if someone had kidnapped the Fon Master, why leave the window open? Surely he wouldn't...?

"We should check the house fully before proceeding to ask any of the townsfolk if they've seen anything." Jade was quick to focus on the matter at hand as he stood from his chair. Grateful, the Guardian left to wake Anise from her sleep. They would need her too, though Reyna couldn't tell how she would react once she heard the boy was gone.

An hour later, they had gathered back in Rose's kitchen. From what they heard from a farmer, the boy had asked where the Cheagle Woods were before he headed off in the direction. While Reyna was angered that the man would just allow the Fon Master, of all people, to just wander off like that, there probably wasn't much he could have done. Annoyed and impatient, she had begun to pace the room. Anise looked concerned, but the older Guardian paid her little mind. Not too often did she allow herself to become like this since, rarely, she could herself in this kind of situations.

Jade had finished talking to one of his men as said soldier saluted after the colonel dismissed him. Taking this chance, she walked over to him. "We're going, right? We've already wasted an hour here. We wait any longer, who knows what will happen to the Fon Master."

"There is a report that the letter is on the way and it should be here soon."

Anise pursed her lips before asking, "How soon is 'soon'?"

Jade shook his head, making Reyna want to sigh out of frustration. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. If they left, there was the possibly that the letter may fall in the wrong hands. Not that Jade or either one of the Guardians didn't trust the crew. You could just never be too careful with this kind of mission. However, the longer the waited, the more likely the boy might find himself in trouble and that did not bode well with the commander.

"Fine, you two wait here then. If the letter will arrive soon, that doesn't mean we all have to be here."

Anise was the first and only one to object. "Wait, why do I have to stay here?! I'm a Guardian too! Ion's personal Guardian at that!"

"I need you to stay here in my plac-"

"That's a dumb excuse."

Reyna glared at the girl, only barely catching Jade's look of amusement in the corner of her eye. She didn't have time for this and above all, it was wasting more time. At this point, Anise stood her ground, and didn't seem to be backing down any time soon.

"If you're in a hurry, I suggest settling this soon." Jade commented, causing Reyna to roll her eyes. "Either way, I'll be staying here until the letter arrives."

Agitated, Reyna finally gave in and snapped at the other, "Fine! You can come, but we're leaving right now."

Nodding her head, Anise was by Reyna's side in an instant.

"We'll be going. Hope to see you soon, Jade. With the Fon Master with us, of course."

And who knew, maybe they would get him back before the letter arrived. She could only hope for the best possibility and expect the worst outcome. Leaving Jade, the Guardians left Rose's house and set to follow the road that lead out of Engeve before heading off to the Cheagle Woods.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Welcome to the end of another chapter! Again, sorry for the delay. Things have gotten a bit busy on my side, but I shall do my best to keep this going! As a note, this chapter is also different and very much so near the end. As I was rewriting this, I realized how ridiculous it would be for Anise to stay behind and some inner Anise just was like 'NOPE' and so that's that.

I don't believe there should be much of a difference besides Anise meeting Luke early, but then again she wouldn't know he's a noble? So she might be a bit mean to him at first. You'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, any reviews help and I'll try to upload this at a good pace, alright?

**Chapter 5: Into the Liger's Den- **When Reyna and Anise are reunited with Ion at the Cheagle Woods, they are surprised to find him in the company of Luke and Tear. It is here that the two Guardians learns about the situations with the Cheagles. Deciding the best course of action would be to help out, both Guardians agree to head to the liger queen with the others.


	6. Into the Liger's Den

**Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.**  
>-Murphy's Law<p>

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><p>They didn't talk much except Anise making a quip here and there, but other than that, it was quiet. To her credit, the younger Guardian didn't complain or do her usual antics, so Reyna was grateful for that. Even if she was still a little peeved at her, that had more to do with the fact she had chosen to act out in front of Jade. Though some might argue that Anise had just as much of a right to be here as herself, so given the time it would take them to reach the forest, the older Guardian would be over it.<p>

At some point, Anise brought up a question. "Hey Reyna? How do you think everyone else is doing?"

"They're doing alright. If not, Iris would have found a way to tell me as much." She had that much confidence in her second-in-command.

"I guess so. I mean, Mohs is probably really mad about Ion leaving." Shrugging at her own words, Anise brought something else up. "There's already rumors that the Fon Master has been kidnapped!"

Was there? Had Anise heard it back in Engeve? No one had mentioned anything like that when Reyna talked to a few of them. "Well, if we're lucky, we can finish this up quick and get back to Daath to explain."

"You don't believe in luck! I bet you just want to see Mohs angry."

A smirk played on her lips. "Perhaps..."

A bit after that conversation had ended, the Guardians saw the forest's main entrance, using a landmark one of the townspeople had mentioned. Since they hadn't seen the boy on their way here, there wasn't much doubt that he was in there, but as to how far, neither one of them knew. Considering his weak constitution, Reyna believed he would have had to rest more, unlike her or Anise. The woman would admit it was smart of him to leave early, though. Without the sun to slow him down from heat exhaustion, he was likely further along than she liked to believe.

Once they entered, the trees blocking out most of the sun, both Anise and Reyna kept their eyes open for any signs that might indicate where the missing Fon Master may have gone. While the term 'path' was used loosely in this sense, Reyna knew that this area was likely the boy would have traveled. A part of her wondered when the idea of running off came into the boy's mind and replayed the events to yesterday. Nothing indicated he had planned to do this, so it must have been impulsive.

She and Anise would have to keep a closer eye on him. Especially since he's becoming more reckless as of late.

Crossing over a large root, the duo continued their search. Anise, for the most part, seemed focus, but it was obvious she was becoming more worried by the second. Reyna could sympathize and even if she wanted to chastise the boy when she found him, all that mattered was that he was fine.

Anise spotted something in the distance and the two of them hurried over. Upon a closer inspection, Reyna noted the remains of what appeared to be some type of beast. Most of it was singed and the younger Guardian mentioned that a fonic arte must have taken out the monsters in this area. If that were true, did that mean that the Fon Master had been here? It wasn't likely to be anyone else...

Looking around, Reyna found a few faint footprints, but it was too hard to make out. Getting down on her knees to have a closer look, she gestured for Anise to her side. Discussing that there may be others here, she stood just in time for her to catch growling behind her.

She tapped her leg twice before she spun around, her hand balling into a fist and she brought said fist straight down to make contact with the wolf's snout. The beast let out a howl before moving back just as Reyna rolled to the side. Anise came barreling forward on Tokunaga, hitting the animal with the puppet's arms. Though they may have looked soft, they were anything but that. Using the time given to her, the older Guardian gathered fonons in her right fist and waited until Anise moved back and they switched. Using her strength, she landed the hit on the dazed monster and ended its life.

Easy and simple, without expanding too much energy. It's what she trained the Guardians to do when faced with an enemy and cooperation was always the key in the end.

Anise hopped off her doll and put her hands on her hips. "We should hurry. Ion has to be around here somewhere and if there are monsters around, he may be in more trouble!"

Nodding in agreement, Anise shrunk down Tokunaga while Reyna checked out the footprints from earlier one last time. With only one lead, they took and set off to see where it would take them.

The Guardians did their best to follow the trail, though it would disappear thanks to the foliage and they would lose it because a wolf or two attacked them. They even had to fight an axe beak bird! Though she was becoming frustrated, Reyna kept it in. That didn't stop Anise from putting a little more energy than needed into the fights, which was fine. Anise always had energy to spare and if Reyna was alone, she would likely be doing the same as the girl to vent out her own frustrations.

They had just picked up the trail again when Reyna saw something small and pink in her peripheral. She signaled for the other to stop as she strained to see what the thing was. It didn't look to be like a monster, at least not right of the bat. In a way, it appeared to be like a toy, but it moved. Anise was the one to confirm Reyna's thoughts as she whispered the word 'cheagles' to herself. If anything, that's what the boy was looking for when he came here. He thought he could help these animals and have it all figured out once he found their nesting area.

Signing with her hand, she indicated to Anise that they needed to follow the cheagle. However, just as she got that through, the animal spotted them and scurried away. Anise and Reyna were quick to chase after it but it became evident that they would not catch it after a few minutes.

Anise let out a profanity that caused Reyna to frown at her. Having left the main path by this point, the duo continued their search. They would spot another cheagle, but it always seemed to get away from them as well. At times, she felt like she was going in circles and while Anise was more vocal about her frustration, Reyna was less so. More time passed and it was becoming harder and harder to do so, even for her. It was getting to the point that even she wanted to let out a curse of frustration.

Reyna and Anise just made it back to the pathway when they heard a familiar albeit confused voice. "Anise? Reyna?"

Both turned to see the Fon Master standing before them! And by his side was the two from the other day, the girl that appeared familiar and the redhead boy. At this point, Anise had ran over to the boy and began to check him over while she talked so fast, Reyna barely understood her. Reyna, herself, was considerably slower when she made her way briskly over to him. The boy caught her gaze and quickly lowered his eyes, unable to meet her own.

Then she was in front of him. "Fon Master, do you have any idea how worried everyone was?!"

"...I had to see what was going on with the cheagles." He whispered back.

While Anise's interest stayed solely on checking the Fon Master, even she flinched along the boy when Reyna raised her voice. "And that gives you permission to leave Rose's house without telling anyone? You realize how frantic she became because of you?"

"I'm sorry..." By this point, he looked ashamed.

"We need to head back and-"

"Hey, he just wanted to help." This came from the red-haired male. "Let him do what he wants."

Reyna turned her attention to the redhead and glared at him as he simply glared back at her. Not even a second later, the girl that she had seen the redhead with yesterday stepped forward. "Major, if I may speak freely about the situation? It certainly involves Engeve."

It took her a moment longer, but it finally dawned on her why this brunette had looked so familiar to her. She knew who this was and for a moment, she felt surprised for not realizing this was Van's sister. Was her name...Tear? Someone had been talking about his sister and only had she seen the girl in a passing. Never did she expect to meet her under strange circumstances and for a moment, she wondered if Van knew his sister was out and about in Malkuth territory.

Just as Reyna went to answer, the redhead butted in once more. "Isn't Ion your boss, anyway? Can't he just tell you to stand down or whatever?"

Tear shot him a look while Anise, who had stayed by the Fon Master this whole time, rolled her eyes. "Luke, be quiet."

"Mieeeeeu! Please don't fight!" This high-pitched voice came ahead, just behind Luke. Both Guardians looked to see a blue cheagle wearing a golden ring appear from Luke's other side and starting to float toward them. It wasn't that it was flying that surprised them, but the fact that it had talked!

Anise was the first to react. "Whoa! It actually spoke!"

Reyna continued to stare as the cheagle peered at both her and the younger Guardian. It wiggled in place before floating closer to them. "I'm Mieu! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you? Uh...I'm Reyna and this is Anise." Okay, that had been a little awkward. Nevertheless, the Fon Master and Mieu both seemed pleased with the outcome. Anise was still gawking and for a moment, Reyna was sure she heard mumble something about how much Gald she could make. Ignoring that and deciding to humor Tear, the older Guardian continued on. "Alright, let's hear what you have to say."

From there, both she and Anise got a quick rundown of the events that transpired while the trio had been together. Ignoring the glare she got from Luke, she listen intently and taking it everything in strides. Anise, of course, was her more vocal counterpart. She made a comment or two, most of which would seem like nonsense, but Reyna knew better. Anise was clever and used this to her advantage while Tear finished up her report.

She sighed just as the Fon Master added, "Reyna, we need to help the cheagles. If the ligers don't move, then Engeve will be in danger as well!"

"I think we should help, Reyna!" Anise added her input as well, taking a stance by the boy.

Crossing her arms, she gave the two a long hard stare. The Fon Master kept her gaze, a look of pure determination staring back at her. She should take him back as they didn't have time for this. However, Reyna didn't want to make any kind of scene with the other two here. Anise wasn't going to be any help since she already said her piece. That kind of left her with only one option.

"As you wish, Fon Master."

The Fon Master beamed at her, one of the happiest smiles she had seen since being around him. "Thank you, Reyna! And you, Anise."

"No problem, Ion! I got your back!" The girl smiled and raised her hand in the air. "Let's do this!"

Now in a group of five, plus a cheagle, they all set off to attend to this liger business. It seemed a bit out there, but she hadn't been there so she couldn't really say much more on it.

Not far into their walk, they group came to a stop by a riverbed. Reyna froze while the others paused to gaze at it. Tear glanced at Mieu and asked, "The liger's den is up ahead, right?"

"Yes! We cross the river and just keep on going!" Mieu replied back enthusiastically.

Reyna remained tensed, worried that they might actually have to cross this river. Even if it was just wading through and it wasn't moving fast, she feared it would still cause her to panic. Lucky enough, she was in the back of the group, so no one noticed her dilemma going on. Her hands were balled into fist, clenching and unclenching as it came to realization that they would likely have to get into the water.

"How are we even supposed to cross this when there is no bridge?" Stupid question, but all the same, Reyna wished there was a bridge.

"We'll just have to wade through the river." replied the Fon Master.

This sent a chill up her spine and she lowered her gaze to the ground. That had to be some other way, any other way, but the Guardian didn't dare say this aloud. She couldn't and wouldn't show any kind of weakness in front of others. While she tried to remain neutral on the situation, Luke went on.

"Are you serious? My shoes, my clothes, they'll all get soaked! No way!"

Anise huffed, shaking her head at Luke's outburst before glancing around. "Is there even another route? It'd probably take forever to find one, even if we tried."

"Time we don't have." Reyna was glad her voice sounded even and that it didn't betray her thoughts.

This seemed to piss off Luke while Tear nodded her head in agreement with the Guardians. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Tear was likely the more reasonable and sensible of the two. With most of the group against him, Luke turned his back on them and it wouldn't surprise Reyna if he was moping. A tiny part of her had hoped he was mad enough to go charging off to find another route that didn't involve crossing this river of death.

No way was she going to wade through it and not freeze in place.

"Hey, Thing. Breathe fire on that tree's roots."

"Mieu?" The cheagle tilted its head in confusion.

Luke grabbed the cheagle from the air and pointed him in the direction of a decaying tree on the other side. Reyna raised her brow and thought that this might actually be a good idea. "Come on, breathe fire already!"

To Mieu's credit, the cheagle followed the order. It let out a little shriek before it spit out fire and ignited the roots of the dead tree. Thankfully, the whole tear didn't just burn and with not much support otherwise, the tree slowly began to fall in their direction.

Reyna ended up pulling the Fon Master closer to her with Anise squeezing next to him. Tear moved as well just as the tree came slamming down onto their side and creating a bridge for them.

Luke, at this point, had a smug expression on his face. "Heh, what do you think of that?"

The Fon Master was the one to answer Luke. "I see. The tree's roots were rotten. That was excellent thinking, Luke!"

"This is nothing." Luke grin turned into a smirk.

Anise mumbled about starting a forest fire before shrugging, not caring much while Reyna rolled her eyes at the younger Guardian.

Tear seemed to agree whole-heartily, though. "Indeed, Mieu is the one who deserves thanks."

"H-hey!"

"I thought it was nothing for you. And stop yelling." Tear was quick to put Luke in his place, which Anise snickered at. Reyna gave her a look, to which the girl simply smiled. "Fon Master, Major Milas, Anise, shall we be on our way?"

Reyna didn't exactly trust this tree bridge, but it was better than their previous option.

Tear took a step up to get on the tree with the boy following her. Both Anise and Reyna helped him up, making sure that his clothes didn't get caught on anything. The Fon Master turned to glance back at Luke, who was glaring at Tear's back, and offered him a smile. "Luke, cheer up. Let' get going."

Luke grumbled to himself.

Anise hopped up next, following the boy. With Tear already making it to the other side and both of the younger members of her group having confidence to walk on their own, Reyna hoisted herself up. The trunk wasn't flat, making her nervous, but she took a few steps forward. Reyna sucked in her breath and tried to focus on the end of the bridge. Though her mind should have been on the Fon Master, she did not particularly care for him at this moment. She just needed to breathe in and out.

Breathe...

"Let's go!" Squeaked Mieu from behind.

"Shut up."

Reyna ignored them as she crossed the tree trunk. Anise and the Fon Master were nearly to the other side, with Tear offering gentle encouragements to the younger one. Reyna found herself staring at the water below and a slight panic arose in her. She needed to keep her breathing steady and not hyperventilate. She would not lose face, not with the annoying redhead here nor Anise. The Guardian couldn't bear the thought of showing weakness in front of others, especially strangers.

"Will you hurry up already?" Luke was behind her at this point and she turned to give him a 'shut up' look before turning back to see that the Fon Master had made it.

It was now or never.

Reyna walked and kept her focus solely on moving forward. She didn't look back down at the water, keeping steady and walking. One foot forward, then another. Her expression had to remain neutral, revealing nothing of her inner turmoil. Nothing would make her look down because Reyna was pretty sure that once she did, she would freeze in place. _'Walk, dammit. Keep walking and don't look down...'_

Just ahead, Anise hopped off, checking on the boy while Tear caught her gaze. Really, that was probably what pushed her forward. It may have also had to do with the fact that Luke was behind her, complaining how slow she was being.

Finally, she made it to the other side and hopped off. Luke followed a short moment after, giving her a look. She rolled her eyes at him before walking over to the boy and Anise. Tear didn't look pleased with how Luke was acting. Anise let out a huff, crossing her arms. "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to the Colonel."

"Agreed. Wouldn't do us well to keep him waiting." Reyna gave the Fon Master a look that hopefully explained their meaning behind this. With a raise of a brow, he nodded slowing, understanding what his Guardians meant.

With that, the group continued onward, with Luke deciding to take the apparent lead. Mieu floated a little bit ahead of him, giving them an idea of where they were heading. The Fon Master stayed in the middle, with Tear in front of him and Anise behind him. Reyna took up rear-guard. Silence followed them, with no one really making any form of chit-chat. Not that it bothered her any, Reyna preferred silence most of the time. Besides it would let her relax and regain herself from earlier.

Her fear of water had plagued her a bit before she came to Daath with Van. She struggled with it and made her feel weak when she realized that even something as simple as swimming in deep water would elude her. Anything above her waist sent her into a panic, which had been the most difficult to hide, especially from her subordinates. The only other person to know about this was Gerard and, try as he might, he hadn't been able to help her overcome it. At least, not as much as he liked.

Thanks to him, though, she had been able to handle surprise splashes from others and walk in water just below her knees. There were times she worried if someone were to use a water spell against her, but thankfully that hadn't come up. Perhaps, when she returned, she would talk to one of the doctors in the city. This fear was only going to hold her back.

"Hey Ion?" Brought out of her thoughts by Luke's voice, she gave her attention to the people ahead.

"Yes?"

The redhead had turned his head to look at the Fon Master, having a thoughtful expression on his face. "How'd you learn such strong artes like you did earlier? Could I learn to do that too?" There was a pause with a brief moment where the boy's shoulders tensed up. It took a moment, but Reyna realized what Luke had been asking about. Anise turned her head to catch Reyna's expression before quickly looking ahead. Luke, seeing this, continued. "What? I can't learn it or something?"

With her eyes still on the Fon Master's back, she answered back. "No. Well, yes. It's just that he isn't _supposed_ to use Daathic fonic artes."

"Why not?" Tear questioned.

Reyna waved her hand absently. "Another time, another matter. Let's stop so Luke doesn't run into a monster."

"Hey!"

Stopping near a tree, Reyna, along with Tear and Anise, checked their surroundings. This didn't really surprise her, considering the training they had all gone through as Oracle soldiers. They didn't want to get ambushed or surprised by any monsters or ligers for that matter. With that mostly out of the way, the Fon Master spoke. "As Reyna said, what I did earlier was a Daathic fonic arte. You see, it's-"

"Wait, wait. I don't want some really long explanation. Can you just tell me if there is a faster and easier way to get stronger?"

Tear placed the palm of her hand on her head, saying what had been on Reyna's mind in that moment. "You're unbelievable."

"Seriously." Anise added, shaking her head. She gave Luke a look of pity.

"What?" Luke looked mildly irritated by their reaction.

"Please don't fight." The Fon Master said, hurriedly moving on before anyone else said anything. "I'll tell you an easy way to get stronger. What kind of capacity core do you use, Luke?"

"Capacity core? What's that?"

"He doesn't know what a capacity core is?" Reyna asked, looking to Tear.

Tear shook her head. "He's somewhat ignorant about the world."

Anise was the one to mutter, "More like idiotic."

_'That was an understatement.' _Reyna thought to herself.

"Well excuse me!" countered Luke, a pout appearing on his face. Who pouted these days? Well, besides children, but that just proved her point.

"Then take this, Luke." replied the boy, as he walked over to Luke and handed him a buckle with the core that was inscribed with a fonic verse on it.

Luke stared at it for a moment. "Is this a capacity core?"

The Fon Master nodded in confirmation,"You can think of it like an accessory with a fonic arte applied to it." And from there, he went into explaining capacity cores and their uses. It appeared to displease Luke that he couldn't use the same arte that the boy has used earlier. Reyna kind of tuned them out while she kept her guard up and watched their surroundings for any movement. The conversation was simple enough and it wasn't like she wanted to explain capacity cores to Luke anyway.

"Now I can get stronger too."

"At least your muscles will." Reyna resisted the urge to chuckle while it seemed Luke hadn't heard Tear.

Placing a hand on her hip, her other hand touched the broach that acted as her capacity core, the _Styl_. After a moment, she got back to business. "Are we going to hang around here all day or can we get going."

Luke, having gotten his answer and a new tool to increase his strength, took the lead once more with the rest of them took the same formation as before. Mieu lead them ahead, showing the path that would take them to this liger 'den'. There was a few words here and there, but it was just mindless chatter. Once or twice, wolf would show itself, but with four attackers, it wasn't much of a fight for any of them.

Reyna did take note of of Luke's skills, but it wasn't too refined. Perhaps with a bit more discipline, his handle with the blade would be better. Tear, on the other hand, was pretty good. This didn't surprise too much, considering that she learned under Legretta, if she remembered correctly. Also, Cantabile had taught her for a while before the woman's...disappearance. Regardless, Tear was a good soldier, which could be said the same about Anise.

After one battle, Luke had even stopped to ask her about her battle style. It wasn't every day that you saw a doll grow in size and do battle with wolves. Even Reyna would have been curious had she not known Anise personally. It was actually an entertaining conversation ending with Anise saying she could take on anyone that dared cross her.

To his credit, the Fon Master kept to the back when the others had to battle. Mieu had wanted to help, but from what she had seen, his fire abilities weren't powerful enough so he stayed out of the way.

With a final slash, Luke had taken care of the liger that had attacked them. If they were seeing ligers, surely that meant that they were nearing their den. Mieu flew around Luke's head before pointing with little paws toward a dense thrush of forest. "This is where the liger queen's lair is."

"A queen?" Luke questioned.

Reyna decided to answer him. "Usually, ligers form a pack around a large female."

"Let's keep going." The Fon Master said, taking a step forward, followed by his Guardians. The boy took the lead with both Reyna and Anise by his side. Luke and Tear took the rear as they entered the dense forest area. Anise grumbled a bit about this until they pushed through to a more open area and there stood the linger queen in the middle of the clearing.

Despite this, the Fon Master pushed onward with Mieu flying nearby. With the group closing in on her, the queen open her eyes and let out a low growl. They all stopped dead in their tracks as Reyna began to tense up. She had to be ready to put herself between any danger and the Fon Master.

"So that's the one." Luke said quietly from behind her.

"Mieu, could you please speak to the liger queen?" requested the Fon Master.

The young cheagle nodded before looking to the beast before them, floating closer to her. The queen did not look happy, and why the hell would it? Regardless, Mieu let out a series of squeaks and noises and Reyna could only hope things would turn out okay but...

The liger queen let out a furious roar, sending Mieu flying back towards them. "She said her eggs are about to hatch so 'go away'!" The cheagle looked sadly back towards the queen, whose teeth were bared, and it let out another growl. "Her Highness is really mad that I accidentally burned down their home."

"Eggs? Ligers lay eggs?!" Anise let out a groan at Luke's outburst while Reyna covered her face with her palm. Tear hadn't been joking when she said he was 'somewhat' ignorant of the world.

Tear ignored Luke's statement and gave her attention to Reyna. "This is bad. Ligers guarding eggs are more prone to violence."

Anise raised both of her hands to her face, looking frustrated. "Mama ligers are likely to fight ten times as fierce as any other liger. Doesn't help they're stronger than a normal liger too."

"Can't we come back later or something?" Luke's eyes were on the eggs that the queen had taken a stance in front of, doubt playing across his face.

Reyna bit her lip, but knew better than to agree with him. "If we do, she'll either kill us, or the babies will have attacked Engeve in search of food by then."

"She's right. Liger young like human flesh, so people hunt down any that are near cities before they can reproduce." Tear quickly informed him.

"Then what should we do?" Luke countered back.

The liger queen seemed to have ran out of patience at this point, taking a step forward.

Reyna's hands balled into a fist, ready to put the Fon Master out of the way if the queen attacked. Anise had already pulled Tokunaga from her back, with Tear gripping her bladed staff. Luke's left hand went toward his sword, ready for anything. It was only a few seconds later, after Reyna turned her head back forward, that Mieu let out a cry. Quickly turning back, she saw Luke take out his sword and swiftly slice through some fallen debris and saving the cheagle.

"Thank you!" the cheagle squeaked at Luke.

"Don't get me wrong, I wasn't protecting you. I was protecting Ion." Reyna had pushed the Fon Master behind her and Anise at this time, narrowing her eyes at the fierce enemy before them. The liger queen growled once more, looking ready to leap at them. "What did it say?"

The cheagle suddenly looked disheartened before sadly saying to the group."She said she's going to kill us and feed our bodies to her children."

Well that was lovely picture, wasn't it?

"Looks like negotiations are over then," replied Luke, as he readied his sword. Tear took a step forward, placing herself near the Fon Master.

Reyna and Anise caught each other's gaze. As the puppeteer readied to enlarge Tokunaga, the Guardians had the same mindset at this moment...

This was going to be one hell of a fight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Can't say I was quite as happy with this chapter as I wanted to be. In the course of Anise coming along, I had to rewrite a few scenes and add her in. I hope it worked and she's in character. I figured she wouldn't be as nice to Luke, since she doesn't know he's a noble yet. Most of the time, she kind of kept quiet, but meh.

Anyway, thank you for your patience. Please leave a review, if you can. I'll be getting the rest out as soon as I can.

**Chapter 6: Ambush! Attack on the Tartarus- **After the events in Cheagle Woods, Luke and Tear are taken aboard the Tartarus. It is then revealed who Luke really is and how he's involved with Tear. Taking this as an opportunity, Jade is able to convince Luke to help them with achieving peace between the two countries. However, just as things get settled, a surprise attack awaits them.


	7. Ambush! Attack on the Tartarus

**Don't confuse my personality with my attitude. **  
><strong>My personality is who I am. <strong>  
><strong>My attitude depends on who you are.<strong>  
>– Frank Ocean<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Luke!<em>" Tear shouted as the redhead was sent flying back by the queen's sudden attack, but he managed to regain himself mid-air.

Reyna turned her attention back to the ligeress just in time to warn Tear of the oncoming attack from the beast. "Tear, watch out!" The girl was brought her attention back to the enemy, gripping her staff before she shot her hand out and a fonic shield appeared. The queen crashed into it, bouncing back slightly. "Fon Master, please stay behind Tear!"

Signaling Anise to follow her lead, Reyna dashed forward, swerving around Tear's shield while the monster continued to attack it.

The older Guardian sent a shockwave, knowing that it would do little damage, if any. The only purpose was to distract the queen, which it did as the ligeress turned her full attention on Reyna. This allowed Tear to retreat back momentarily and get some distance between the liger queen and the Fon Master. Keeping the queen's attention on her, the Guardian moved and swiveled about as Anise took a few shots at it with Tokunaga. When the queen turned to face Anise, Reyna was about to attack it when Luke made his own offensive strike.

He had jumped in the air, readying to slash into the beast. However, when his sword made contact, it did no damage. Taking notice to her new attacker, the queen raised her forepaws before bringing them down, causing the ground to tremble. Reyna stumbled, Anise clung to Tokunaga, and Luke, having landed wrong, ended up falling back. The queen, seeing the opening, lunged for Luke. Rolling out of the way, the swordsman was on his feet once more.

Anise charged forward, but even her attacks didn't do much. With the beast's attention back on her, the puppeteer pulled back. Reyna dashed forward, gaining the queen's attention for a moment. She took a step back to dodge her claws just as Luke began to attack once more. He got a couple of hits in, but it likely did nothing to faze her.

Reyna was closing in to attack with Luke when the female liger open her mouth. Without so much as a second thought, the Guardian pushed herself forward and tackled Luke to the ground. She pressed herself into him and hissed at him to shut up just as the ligeress shot out lighting from her mouth. It took a second for Luke to understand, but he stopped moving a few moments later.

The hair on the back of Reyna's neck stood on end, even at the monster had finished her attack.

There was a growl and the Guardian realized that the beast was ready to attack them. She tried to think of a plan, even moving would work, but she was frozen and the redhead was likely in the same situation as she. With less than three or four seconds until the queen lunged, Reyna readied herself to take the blunt of the attack when something flicked below the queen.

An attack from below?!

Not that it mattered since she took this second to roll away from the area she had just been. Luke did the same and once they were back on their feet, both of them noticed that the monster had been stunned by whoever's attack that was. Glancing behind her, Reyna saw that Tear had just finished casting a spell. Anise, who was standing halfway between Tear and them, caught Reyna's gaze and the older Guardian nodded her head. Retreating back to where Tear was, she began to cast one of her fonic artes.

"What the hell are we supposed to do? None of our attacks are working!" He gripped his blade, probably not used to enemies this strong or this impossible to take head on.

And to be perfectly honest, she hadn't encountered a monster like this before either. If she had all of her Guardians, this might be considerably easier, but she had to make do with what she had. The problem would be figuring out how to put use of both Tear and Anise as the fonist. Luke and her could provide enough distraction that-

Luke charged ahead, impatient for a reply from the woman. Yelling after him, she following after him. They worked together to keep the queen's attention on them while Anise cast her fonic arte. That, at least, did some kind of damage.

It also made the liger queen very angry.

It was right around then that Reyna felt something strange, turning her head to find the source. However, this was a mistake on her part as a paw came in her direction. Instinct was probably what saved her as her hands went to guard herself. The sheer force sent her flying back, hitting the ground with a slight skid. Someone yelled her name, though she couldn't tell who at this moment. The Guardian took a few moments to regain herself and went to push herself up when she stopped. Luke stood in front of her, his stance ready to take on the liger queen as the beast made its way over to them.

She almost yelled at Luke to get out of the way when it happen.

"Indignation!" a familiar voice rang out and a surge of lighting engulfed the queen.

Reyna ended up shielding her eyes, feeling the intensity of the attack. If she hadn't known who did that fonic arte, she might have been afraid that her and Luke would be caught in the crossfire. However, she had _some_ faith in the man and just as the attack ended, Reyna open her eyes. To her surprise, the queen was still standing, but only barely so. She began to tremble and sway before it finally toppled over to the side with a _**thud**_—dead.

She let out a sigh of relief as she pushed herself up into a standing position. Luke, at this point, fell to the ground in exhaustion and Reyna could understand the feeling quiet well. However, she didn't have time to sit around as she walked over to where the Fon Master and Anise were. Tear was making her way over to where Luke was, likely to check in on him. It was just as she was about to reach the two that Reyna finally saw the one who cast the spell and, for once, she was glad to see him.

Jade and Reyna caught each other's gaze before the colonel pushed his glasses up.

She stopped, standing by the Fon Master and Anise, a hand on her hip. "Looks like Colonel Curtiss made it just in time to save us from the queen."

"I didn't do much. You already had the monster nearly beaten when I arrived, didn't you?"

"Your modesty fits you so well."

"That's what everyone tells me."

Reyna rolled her eyes and this was when Anise made the comment. "You alright, Reyna?"

"Yeah." Reyna replied back, checking herself over. "Nothing serious. What about you, Fon Master?"

He smiled. "I'm fine. I'm just sorry I couldn't do much to help."

"Don't worry about that, Ion! I'm just glad you're alright."

Reyna thought about what their next move would be when Luke made a comment. "This left a bad taste in my mouth."

Following his gaze, she saw him staring at the liger's eyes, which were now broken and had goo oozing out of them. While she did feel a bit bad, she didn't feel the need to actually agree him with. It was bad they had to interfere, but they were defending themselves. It happen and there wasn't much they could have done to save the eggs, much less figure out what to do with them if they had.

"You're quite kind...or perhaps soft." Tear replied back.

"And you're a damn cold witch!"

This caused Reyna to raise a brow while Jade expressed amusement. "My, my. Lover's quarrel, perhaps?"

"Shut up!"

"Colonel Curtiss, we do not have that sort of relationship."

Reyna caught Anise's eyes and they both held a smirk on their faces. The Fon Master looked mildly confused, but said nothing. Jade ended up shrugging at both of them retorts. "I was just kidding, but please, call me Jade. My family's name is a bit too formal."

When the boy made his way over to Jade, Reyna and Anise followed. "Jade, I'm really sorry for running off and doing this on my own."

"It's unlike you to do something when you know it's wrong." Reyna rolled her eyes, but thankfully Jade didn't notice. When her gaze went to the Fon Master, she saw that he was standing a little more straight, an indication he was going to make a point.

Which he did.

"Together, with Yulia, the cheagles are the foundation of the Order of Lorelei. I felt that I was responsible for any trouble they have caused."

"So this made you use your powers, even though the doctors had forbade you to?" The boy's eyes widened slightly and he lowered his head, causing Reyna to bristle almost instantly. She knew that Jade was right and she had reprimanded the boy herself, but it reminded her too much of Mohs. Anise took notice of this and though she couldn't do anything, the girl stood a little straighter. Reyna, in turn, tried to calm herself down. Jade was not Mohs. "Moreover, you seemed to have involved civilians as well."

To Reyna's surprise, Luke was the one to defend the boy. "Hey, old man! Give the kid a break, he apologized didn't he?"

From the looks of the others, they seemed just as surprised by what Luke had just said. Jade, however, continued, "Oh. And here I thought you were the type to complain and grumble about being involved. I am a bit surprised." As if they all weren't. "Anyway, I'll stop the lecture at that. We don't have much time."

"The letter arrived, didn't it?"

"While you all were gone, yes."

Could they really talk about this in public, even if that public consisted of just Luke and Tear? Well, there wasn't point in making a deal about it and she was ready to get out of here and get back to the task at hand. Delivering that letter to Kimlasca and getting back to Daath as soon as possible. "Then we should hurry and not waste time sitting around."

Luke, who caught on to her indication, simply glared at her.

"Nooo! We have to report to the elder!" Mieu squeaked at the others, causing Reyna to give her attention to the cheagle as it came floating by Luke's head.

"A cheagle speaking a human language?" Jade asked, seeming puzzled by this.

"It's the power of the Sorcerer's ring." Glancing at Jade, the Fon Mastered asked, "Jade, it wouldn't be too much trouble to stop by the cheagle's home?"

"All right. Please remember though, we don't have much time."

With a heavy sigh, the Guardian was about to follow Luke, Tear, and the Fon Master as they took the lead, but stopped when she noticed that Jade and Anise stayed behind a bit. He spoke to her quietly, but she was able to catch most of it from where she stood. Anise nodded her head eagerly, despite the fact that the girl likely wanted to stay by the Fon Master's side. When they caught her gaze, Anise gave her a smile while Jade gave her a mild shake of of his head.

Anise saluted at them. "Alright, as long as you two keep on eye on Ion, I'll do my super cute best to be back as soon as possible!~"

The trio hurried to catch up with the other and when the path diverged, Anise shot off elsewhere. Jade and Reyna kept to the rear while the others continued on, not noticing Anise's absence as they went on about a cheagle's diet or something silly like that. Reyna paid little attention to it, her mind on their surroundings. Even if they had just defeated the liger queen, there was still danger about.

Even then, the animals in the forest didn't come out much.

Their walk seemed short and before she knew, they had arrived to where all the cheagles were. Which, considering this was her first time here, she found herself looking all around. They were actually kind of cute and Reyna could imagine what most of her Guardians would think if they found themselves here. It almost made her smile as she actually felt herself missing the chaos that came with being their leader...

The cheagle elder and Mieu conversed and, if Reyna dared admit it, it was pretty damn adorable. Tear was blushing, mumbling something about it be so adorable as well, which nearly caused Reyna chuckle at her. The only one that did not look highly amused by the cheagles was Luke. He just looked annoyed for what reason, but Reyna didn't really want to know why either.

"Mieu told me what happened, and it seems you met with great danger on our behalf." The elder cheagle said. "We are grateful that you would keep your promise even after two thousand years."

"Aiding cheagles is part of Yulia's teaching. It's only natural." The Fon Master answered back, a smile on his face.

"Regardless, the origin of this all was the fire Mieu caused in the liger's home." Then, with as much firmness as a small cheagle elder can get, he proclaimed, "I hereby banish Mieu from the cheagle tribe!"

"That's too cruel!" The Fon Master exclaimed while Reyna folded her arms. Mieu looked downcast at this revelation. While she did feel bad for the little guy, he had caused the fire which lead to the ligers moving into this area. It was a punishment he would have to endure if he was to take responsibility.

"Of course, I don't mean forever."Mieu immediately perked back up. "If I am to understand correctly, Mieu owes Master Luke his life. We cheagles do not forget our debt. Henceforth, Mieu will serve serve Master Luke for one cycle of the seasons."

"What?!" Luke groaned, shaking his head. "I'm not involved in this!"

Mieu retrieved the Sorcerer's Ring back from the elder and came floating towards Luke. "I'll do my best, Master!"

Luke went on about how stupid this was and he refused to take the young cheagle along. It took some convincing, but the redhead finally agreed to let Mieu come along as a pet or something. With that settled, they could finally leave this forest. The group said their goodbyes and left the huge tree the cheagles occupied and set course for the entrance. There was some more talking among the group, especially with Mieu around as he seemed the general one to ask questions.

It was almost off-putting, how easygoing this group was becoming. The Fon Master was smiling, something he didn't see too often. At least, not a smile like the one he had now. It was different, almost like he was enjoying himself. She thought back to his life in Daath and realized, besides Anise, he didn't have too many friends. Reyna didn't count herself seeing as most of her time was spent with the Guardians. Even when they did spend time together, it was business for all of it.

"Ion! Reyna!" Anise brought her back as she came running toward them, a grin on her face. Stopping in front of them, offering a salute to Reyna, she added, "Welcome back!"

"Anise, where is the Tartarus?" Jade asked, giving his attention to her.

"In front of the forest, just like you asked. You said to hurry, so we came as fast as we could." At least they wouldn't have to walk to wherever the Tartarus had been previously.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard, along with some clinking armor.

Reyna tensed for half a second before relaxing when she saw they were simply Malkuth soldiers. They emerged in numbers from the forest all around them. It was about this time that Reyna noticed the looks on Tear and Luke's face. They moved back, Luke's hand going to his sword while Tear's grip on her staff tighten, a grimace on her face.

It was Luke who yelled out angrily. "Hey! What the hell is the meaning of this?!"

"Restrain those two at once. They are the ones who have been emitting Seventh Fonons." commanded Jade, his gaze on the duo.

It was then that the Fon Master pleaded with the colonel. "Jade, please don't do anything to hurt them."

Jade waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. We don't kill them." Before he added in a mockingly sinister voice, "...Assuming they don't resist. Now be good kids. Take them away."

With swords pointed at them, the couple didn't have much of a choice. Reyna paid no mind to them now that they were all heading to the land dreadnaught. She needed to tend to her wounds and see if her uniform was still intact. Afterwards, she would check in with Anise and the Fon Master.

Though, from the look on his face, the boy was worried about his newfound friends as their hands were being cuffed behind them. She sighed while Anise managed to distract him long enough that they moved forward.

.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-****.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.****-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

.

The Guardian found the conversation going on to be quite boring. Don't get her wrong, she never thought Luke and Tear were in trouble with Malkuth, but she didn't really quite understand why Jade needed to explain hyperresonance in full. It was sort of interesting to hear how the two before them had crossed the border illegally. Being two seventh fonist made that possible but…

She did explain to Jade earlier that Tear was from the Order and Anise confirmed that she might possibly be with one of the intelligence divisions, though she wasn't sure which one. Luke, she had an idea but didn't say so to Jade since she wanted to be wrong.

The conversation might have gone more smoothly if Luke wasn't….Luke.

"Man, you're obnoxious."

Anise giggled, her tone light and teasing. "He called you obnoxious."

Jade, on his part, feigned a hurt expression. "I'm terribly insulted. But moving along, I know Tear is an Oracle Knight. With that being said, Luke, what is your full name?"

"Luke fon Fabre." His reply came quick and it was curt, his eyes never leaving Jade's. Reyna's eyebrows shot up for a moment, surprised before her expression returned back to neutral. If that were true, then what about Van? He had gone to train the Fabre boy, hadn't he? "The Luke you guys tried to kidnap."

While Anise and the Fon Master appeared taken back by his words, Jade was unconcerned by the accusation. Reyna's mind went elsewhere as the colonel continued on with the conversation. "The son of Duke Crimson Herzog Fabre who married into the royal family?"

"A Duuuuke?" Reyna heard Anise mumble to herself. "That means..."

Rolling her eyes, the woman paid no mind to the younger Guardian as she continued to mumble to herself.

"Why are you in Malkuth? And what is this about a kidnapping? It doesn't sound very pleasant."

"I could see why they would bring him back though." Reyna said, mostly to herself, but Luke had heard her anyway. He did have an ear for that sort of thing.

The conversation went back to Luke and Tear defending themselves, saying it was merely an accident, which the Fon Master went along with. He said that he believed they were telling the truth and that he didn't feel any hostility from Luke, which sounded like bull to Reyna.

Well, she _supposed_ Kimlasca wouldn't send the Duke's son into enemy territory to invade, but still. The fiery red-haired boy seemed to have quite the temper. With Jade making banter at him, Luke was pouting when the Fon Master suggested that they ask for their assistance.

To show they were serious about asking for their help, both were released from their handcuffs. Luke and Tear rubbed their wrists, Tear looking at least a little relieved about being free while Luke just glared at Jade. "Nice way to treat innocent people when you need to ask for their help."

Jade ignored that little detail and went on. "We're heading towards the kingdom of Kimlasca under the orders of Emperor Peony the Ninth of the Malkuth Empire."

"Don't tell me...to declare war?" Tear said, her eyebrows raised.

Luke jumped up at that, looking back between Tear and Jade. "To declare war?! A war is gonna start soon?"

"You've got it backwards Luke, we're going to prevent war from happening." Anise informed Luke, smiling at him. It was kind of creepy in a way but whatever.

"To prevent war? Is it that bad? The relations between Kimlasca and Malkuth, I mean."

"It's surprising that you _don't _know." Reyna said with a sigh, because really this was kind of silly. Who didn't know? Was he **that** sheltered? If Reyna really cared, she might have ask how much Luke didn't know about the outside world.

Maybe he was just as dumb as he acted.

Jade decided to keep going, so Luke didn't say anything to Reyna's comment. "If we leave things as they are, a large-scale war is likely to happen. It has been fifteen years since the Hod war has ended and now, localized skirmishes occur frequently." Jade said, his face still in the same neutral expression.

The Fon Master nodded his head. "That is why His Majesty decided to send a letter to Kimlasca in order to conclude a peace treaty. He requested that I come along as a neutral ambassador to make sure things proceed smoothly."

"If that's true, then why are you rumored missing?" Luke asked, causing Reyna to frown at the new. How far was Mohs really willing to go, she wondered. If these rumors of him missing or being kidnapped got bad enough, it would hinder them. "Master Van left to look for you."

Oh?

"That's because I escaped Mohs' custody with the help of the Malkuth military." The Fon Master replied back without so much as missing a beat.

Tear looked taken back by this and opened her mouth slightly to say something, but nothing came out while Luke went on with his questions. "Who's this Mohs' character?"

Reyna decided to take it upon herself to explain the man she so terribly hated. "Grand Maestro Mohs is head of the faction that opposes the Fon Master. As of right now, the Order of Lorelei is divided among those who support the Fon Master faction and those who support of the Grand Maestro faction, which is centered around Mohs." Reyna noted how Tear's eyes started to narrow as she explained the different factions that had developed within the Order. Reyna's gaze never left the girl, who eyes almost too similar to Van's.

"Grand Maestro Mohs wishes for war to start." The Fon Master concluded after Reyna. That much was obvious.

Tear instantly reacted, jumping to her feet and her hands hit the table in between the two parties. "Fon Master Ion! There must be some mistake! Grand Maestro Mohs' only wishes for fulfillment of the Score There is no way he would want such a thing to happen."

Reyna's mood soured just as quick as she nearly openly glared at the female soldier. Tear really had no idea what was going on, did she? How could she even defend the bastard? It simply made her furious that others couldn't see Mohs for what he was and even though Van didn't seem to mind him, anger still coursed through her veins.

Anise placed her elbows on the table, looking at Tear with a pout on her face. "So Tear's on the Grand Maestro's side...that's a real shocker."

"I'm neutral. Yulia's score is important, but so are the Fon Master's wishes." came Tear's curt reply to Anise.

"Yes, because you are so obviously neutral from your earlier outburst." It was childish, but her hatred for Mohs was very deep and though she had been fine with Tear before, now Reyna had started to feel a dislike for her. The girl just didn't get it, did she?

Luckily for them all, Luke seemed to want to move things along. "Hey guys, hello! Do you mind slowing down so I can keep up?"

"My apologies. I had forgotten the young master here hasn't a clue of the world around him." Jade casually said, as if it wasn't any sort of insult.

Which, of course, didn't please Luke at all as he angrily said, "...What did you say?"

"Regardless of the state of the affairs within the Order," the Fon Master intervened timely, "I must deliver this letter to Kimlasca on behalf of Malkuth."

"We are soldiers of an enemy nation. Even as emissaries of peace, it won't be easy to cross the border. If we delay, the Grand Maestro faction will catch up and interfere. That's why we need your help...or rather we just need your social status."

Luke rolled his eyes at the Malkuthian colonel before leaning back in his seat. "Oh jeez, thanks Gramps. Is that all I'm good for? And didn't anyone ever teach you to bow your head in respect when asking someone for a favor?"

"Don't act like that Luke." scolded Tear, frowning at the redhead. "You don't want a war either, do you?"

"Would you shut up already?" Luke snapped before his eyes went back to Jade. "Well?"

Jade let out a heavy sigh before walking to the side near Luke. In one quick and fluent movement, he was on one knee. One of the soldiers called out to him, while the other one in the room looked shocked. Reyna herself felt the same, staring at Jade like he had gone a little bit crazy. "Master Luke, please grant us your aid."

"Man, do you have _any_ pride?"

His head still bowed, Jade replied back casually, "None so cheap as to be shaken by such petty things."

"...Tch. Fine, whatever. You just need me to talk to my Uncle, right?"

Jade stood, smiling and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You have my deepest gratitude, Master Luke. Now, by your leave, I must return to my work. You can make yourself at home, Master Luke."

Luke waved his hand dismissively. "Drop the 'Master' title. I'll barf."

"As you wish, _Master_ Luke."Jade didn't wait for a reply but Reyna saw that once he turned to leave, he had a smirk on his face. His soldiers followed him out, which led her to leading the other two out as well. The Fon Master had been winded by the long and serious discussion, asking if they could go get some fresh air. Agreeing, the trio made their way toward one of the balconies that was nearby.

Once they were walking about, Anise let out a small sigh. "That was pretty intense, but did you hear that Luke was a son of a duke?! He's _so_ handsome." Reyna just rolled her eyes at this while the young girl chatted to them about Luke and how she thought he was so cute and how she wanted to get to know him better. Reyna was getting an irritated look on her face, but the boy seem to deal with it better than the Guardian was.

"Anise, why don't you go show Luke around? I'm sure he'd appreciate that." he said, smiling at her.

Her eyes widen before she let out a giggle. "You think so?! Can I go Reyna? Oh please!"

"Yeah, go ahead. Shoo already." Reyna was glad to have rid herself of the girl, and Anise wasted no time as she shot off back to where Luke and Tear were.

When she was out of hearing range, Reyna turned her attention back to the Fon Master. "That was very naughty, Fon Master."

"You sound like Jade." The boy chuckled as she frowned at him, not liking the comparison "Anyway! Let's go get some fresh air."

With a simple nod, Reyna and the Fon Master continued on their way. It didn't take them too long to actually arrive and once they were outside, the boy moved toward the railing. A smile soon appeared as he looked toward the sky, causing Reyna to wonder what he looked so happy about.

"It's just so different from Daath! I guess this whole experience is different from the way I was living before." He explained without having her to ask, his hair swaying in the gentle breeze. Her eyes remained on him for several moments while he continued to talk about this journey thus far.

Reyna didn't really understand why he was getting all worked up about it but then again, she had never thought about what everything was like for someone like him. His life was completely different compared to almost everyone else's on Auldrant...

"Fon Master, we should go back inside-"

"Reyna look! What _is_ that?"

The boy pointed toward the distant sky and she turned her attention to where he was point. She had to squint, straining to get a better look, but from what she could tell, something were making their way toward the Tartarus. It was hard to make out a shape at this distance, but they caused Reyna to tense. Her hand grabbed the Fon Master's shoulder, while he looked nervously at her.

Alarms started going on and Reyna quickly grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him back inside. She didn't stop there

She squinted her eyes, straining to get a better look, but all she could tell that it was some specks making their way toward the Tartarus. Reyna grabbed the Fon Master by the shoulder, her body tensing up while he looked nervously between her and the dark specks that were growing bigger each second. When the alarms started to go off, Reyna wasted no time, grabbing the boy by the hand and dragging him back inside. She didn't stop there, her feet already moving as she tried to think of the safest place she could keep the boy.

Because she was certain that all hell was about to break loose.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> As always, I take a bit longer to update than usual. Sorry for the delay and to those who are old readers, please forgive me for making you wait until I have finished rewriting the story. I know you want to know what happens next, but back then, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to happen in the story and just was going along with it each chapter. Now I have a general plot idea, so please bear with me as I rewrite these chapters to indicate where this plot may be heading.

Anyway, I hope you have all had a good day. Please leave a review if you want as I appreciate any and all reviews! Thank you!

**Chapter 8: What Makes you Stronger- **With the attack on the Tartarus, Reyna is forced to leave Ion in the hands of Anise while she runs off to get the letter. However, she is soon met with adversity as she encounters a familiar face. Forced to take action, Reyna fights her way through to find the others. Then the unexpected happens and soon, the Guardian finds herself alone and struggling to keep moving forward.


	8. What Makes you Stronger

**If I can take it, I can make it.**  
>-Louis Zamperini<p>

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><p>Reyna's grip on the boy was tight while they ran down the hallways of the Tartarus. She heard the Fon Master's breathing hard behind her, but the Guardian didn't allow for rest. The dreadnaught would be under attack soon and she didn't care to find out what would happen if they were caught. The intercom crackled as it announced all soldiers to prepare for battle, stating the level to be a three. Reyna didn't want to know if a three was bad or not.<p>

She wondered if these Malkuthians were ready, but quickly chastised herself. They were soldiers and ready or not, they would fight.

"R-Reyna! What about the letter?!" The boy asked, trying his best to keep up with her. Reyna wasn't sure how to answer him, since the letter was in the other direction.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom and the dreadnaught rumbled. Reyna nearly lost her footing, but regained herself well enough. The Fon Master, however, lost his balance and ended up on the ground. Swiftly, Reyna was by his side, helping him back up to his feet while she answered him "It's a detour, Fon Master but if we can meet with the others we might-"

"You're right, but that letter might prevent this war! We need to get that letter more than anything!" His voice was firm, his gaze unflinching. For a moment, she is reminded of _him_. "Let's get going."

"That an order?" The question had left her mouth before she processed it. After all, the boy hated doing that—ordering others around.

It felt that each day he was away from Daath, he was becoming a bit bolder. In a way, he was almost turning into someone she didn't recognize. "It's a humble request."

She smirked, gazing downward. That sounded like him and she ended up nodding her head. "Fine. I guess we better go get that letter before it falls into the wrong hands."

They ran.

For how long, Reyna didn't know and didn't care. Too much was going on and her mind was a blur as all these thoughts swirled around in her head. Where would she be right now if she hadn't overheard Anise and the Fon Master's conversation? How would she be dealing with what might possibly be happening at Daath? Where was Anise in all of this? Probably with Luke, so if she could just find Luke, Anise was sure to be nearby if not with him.

She turned back to the boy, opening her mouth to tell him something when someone collided right into her.

"Reyna!"

"Anise!"

"Reyna! Ion! Thank goodness you're alright! There are ligers everywhere and I think the Oracle Knights have boarded the Tartarus!" Anise was waving her arms around like a crazy person and her yelling this wasn't really helping.

But if what Anise said was true, then they were in deep trouble, because Reyna knew the Oracle Knights were one thing, but the ligers meant a whole different problem entirely. If they were here, those beasts from the Cheagle Forest, then that meant at least one God-General was here.

"Anise, take the Fon Master with you. You need to find Jade and the others."

The boy turned his attention back to the older Guardian. "What about you?"

"I'll get the letter." Reyna replied back and she could tell that neither of the teens agreed with her but what choice did they really have?

They _had_ to get that letter but the boy needed to be kept safe at all cost or all of this was for naught. She trusted Anise enough to take care of him and once they found Jade, it would be for sure that nothing bad would happen to them. What mattered was getting the letter and getting back to them as soon as possible. If this was thought about logically, then if she went by herself, she wouldn't be tied down by either one of them.

Anise was reluctant at first but she also understood where Reyna was coming from. Grabbing the boy by the hand, she saluted Reyna. "You better come back with that letter or I'll resign!"

A grateful smile on her face, she watched as Anise dragged the Fon Master away. The boy kept his eyes on Reyna, at a loss for words on how to convince the older Guardian to let them come along with her. In the end, he let Anise pull him away until they were both out of view.

She had no time to waste if she wanted to get that letter and get back to the group in one piece.

As she ran, Reyna wondered of the skill level of the Malkuthian soldiers and if they could hold off the Oracle Knights. The Knights were pretty well-trained and if they were from the God-General division, then they might be in trouble. And that was just the soldiers! If one of the God-Generals were here, then what chance did these guys stand? From the account that Anise gave her, Arietta had to be on board. That was certain enough with the monsters, but who else would they send?

Largo seemed like a candidate, which did not bode well with Reyna.

Turning down on corridor, Reyna found herself right in front of a battle between the soldiers on the Tartarus and a few Oracle Knights. One of the Malkuthians saw her and immediately called out to her, taking the focus of the Knights from the fight to her for a brief second. Cursing under her breath, she thrust herself into the battle. This was the quickest way to the Fon Master's room and she'd be damn if she was going to waste time finding another route.

The Malkuth troops were doing a decent job, but without the use of their fonic artes, they were slipping up with the Oracle Knights, ones who were from Arietta's division from the design on the front of their uniforms. While they weren't as orientated as the other divisions, they all trained hard and fought as fiercely as Arietta's monster friends. Thankfully, it was with Reyna's help that turned the tide of this particular battle as she moved swiftly around, her fist connecting with one of the Knight's helmet. Each one that fell to the ground caused her to wonder if that one was Gerard, but...no.

She couldn't think of that. This wasn't his division. He wasn't here.

"Major!"

Turning her attention toward one of the soldiers that called her out, she found one who appeared hesitantly wanting to say something to her. She noted that he couldn't be much older than a few of her Guardians. His eyes met hers and as he open his mouth to say what he had wanted when a sword came bursting from his chest. Some blood splattered on her, but her eyes never left the boy's as his mouth still hung open until the sword was pulled out and he toppled over.

Reyna didn't have much time to think of the young man's death before the Oracle Knight that had killed said male came rushing toward her. She dodged the attack, with the blade coming in from the side. She took to grappling the Knight's arm and disarming him before she gave him a hard kick to the back of his leg. He fell to his knee and without hesitation, Reyna raised her fist and hit him in the side of the head with once of strength she had.

_SNAP_

The body fell over, the Guardian barely even glancing at it before she turned around and this time, she simply attacked on sight, moving through the battle. Her focus went entirely to making it through to the other side of this battle. The pain didn't matter and she ignored most of the Malkuthians as this battle waged on. The adrenaline kept her mind away from the pain, kept her moving forward.

When she saw the opportunity, she ran.

Her focus was intently on moving forward, ignoring most of her surroundings. She couldn't waste anymore time helping people out, as cruel as that might sound.

She skidded around a corner, only to hear a nearby sound of clinking armor. Cursing under her breath, the Guardian threw herself into the near room, placing her body against the door. She quieted her breathing, waiting for the Knights to pass by. Reyna took the moment to asset herself, checking to see if anything needed attention at the moment. Some blood stained her uniform, but from what she was able to tell, none of it was hers. She knew she had some bruises, maybe even a few scratches. Nothing serious though, which was good. However, as soon as she came to this conclusion, she heard footsteps and shuffling of bodies outside of her door.

Reyna froze, praying that they didn't check this room. She would be cornered and have no advantage in this setting. Her heart picked up for a few seconds, but soon enough they moved by and a sigh of relief left her. Letting herself having a temporary break, Reyna undid her braid. She combed her fingers through it, getting rid of any knots before she started to braid it again. It soothe her and let her calm down enough to regain focus on what was important.

Nodding to herself, the Guardian waited another ten seconds, confirming that no one was outside the door before easing the door open. No one seemed around and with that, she dashed out into the empty hallway. She ran once more.

A few minutes past until she finally arrived at the room that was for the Fon Master and his Guardians. Her search for the letter began though for the life of her, she could not remember where he had placed it. She searched the drawers, but had felt that was too obvious and found nothing when she searched it anyway. The closest came next but again, nothing. Frustration was working its way into her as she began to rip apart the place and looked in every corner.

Until one finally place came to her, which she ended up rolling her eyes at the very thought.

Reyna went over to the Fon Master's bed, checking under the mattress and look! There it was, still encased. Glad to have finally found it, she stood and placed it on her for safekeeping. She would have a talk with the boy later about he went to hiding important things.

"Reyna."

Of course.

A soft sigh escaped her, putting a hand on her hip. The Guardian never thought of herself to have bad luck, but this was getting ridiculous. She had really hoped that it hadn't been the first division on board the Tartarus, but why wouldn't it be? Truthfully, she didn't want to face him. She hadn't wanted to let him and let him see her life this. Given the chance, she might have explained upon her return to Daath, but it was too late to have those thoughts now.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her best friend. Her expression revealed nothing but passive disinterest.

Without his helmet, hesitation clearly showed across his face as he only managed to get out a single, "Why?"

Oddly enough, she felt irked by the question. Gerard had always managed to break past her wall. "Why, you ask? I think it's obvious here or did you superiors tell you nothing?"

"They told me what I needed to know!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way, Gerard."

This would be one of the few times she would see a glare on his face. "I can't let you pass, Reyna."

"...who said you would?"

She's quick, but Gerard knew her too well and anticipated the attack. He blocked it easily, nearly throwing her off-balance in the process. Reyna should have known better, having been training with each other for so long. She might have known his moves inside and out, but so did he with hers. She pushed herself back and went with a low spinning sweep kick. And once again, he managed to dodge it without much effort.

The Guardian was pushed back once more.

His hand going to the hilt of his weapon, he gritted his teeth. "Don't make me do this. Please..."

There was still one more tactic she had kept to herself in all of these years. In fact, it wasn't even a tactic but a really underhanded move and used Gerard's nature against him.

Just as he was about to pull out heavy axe, she gasped in pain before grabbing her side. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. Gerard reacted instantly, going to her side to check what was causing her pain.

He was too good to her.

Taking advantage of his kindness, Reyna hit him square in the face. He fell back as she jumped to her feet and leaped over him. She felt him reach out to try and grasp her foot, but she was already sprinting out of the room. This wasn't the same as before because now she needed to find the Fon Master and the others. Everything depended on that and not even Gerard would get in her way.

Was it horrible she used their friendship to get the upper hand? Probably, but she didn't want to dwell too much on that thought. He'd recover and would be coming after her soon enough. Much like the rest of the Oracle Knights would be.

Focus, that's what she needed. First thing would be heading to the bridge. If the others weren't there, she could at least get a general idea of the situation. Even if the Tartarus had been taken over by this point, it was a better starting point than wandering around aimlessly.

When the large metal door open up, wind brushed against her face. Reyna glanced around before spotting the ladder that lead to another level on the Tartarus. Running over to it, she pulled herself up it as fast as possible, stopping only briefly before reaching the top. She peered over, but no one seemed to be patrolling the area. Nobody that was alive, anyway. What _was_ here was bodies of dead Malkuthians and Oracle Knights, though the Malkuth soldiers far outnumbered them in this department.

She heaved herself up and over the side. She pushed the rest of her thoughts away as she continued onward. She walk, though it was more of a fast pace. Reyna just didn't want to step on any of the bodies. She had, at least, that much decency and respect left in her.

Nearly to the other side, Reyna felt some grab hold of her right ankle.

Turning to slam her fist into who or what had grabbed her, to her surprise, she found one of the crew members of the Tartarus staring up at her. Their eyes connected for a few seconds as the person, a female she was to believe, tried to mouth something to her. The woman wanted and needed help, but all Reyna could do was continue to stare at her. The woman was just barely clinging to life and the Guardian already knew that there was nothing she could do at this point. She wasn't even sure she could help, were she a healer. If Reyna even attempted to move the female, that strain would likely what did her in.

She knew when it was too late to save a life.

Reyna may not have been a very religious person, but she offered a small prayer. "May Yulia be with you."

Carefully, she pulled her leg away from the dying woman's grasp. She had to keep moving forward.

However, as soon as she turned her attention ahead, she found herself facing a liger. Taken by surprise, she stepped back. Her eyes flickered upward to notice a griffon circling above. It would be ready to strike when she least expected it. The Guardian would have to be careful since she wouldn't be able to reach the aerial enemy at the moment. Her focus went toward the liger.

She dashed forward, using her fists in quick succession of each other before she sent the beast back with a powerful kick. A smirk on her face, she stepped back, only to have her foot step on one of the bodies and caused to slip up her footing. Her arms went outward, trying to catch herself on anything, but Reyna already knew that she was going to land in a bad position.

Only she didn't as someone caught her, their arms underneath her own. Glancing up, she froze when she realized she was staring into a familiar brown set of eyes. She lurched forward, trying to get away but Gerard already had a hold of her at this point. Despite that, she struggled in his grip while she cursed at herself for being careless. She should have taken the chance to keep running!

She twisted and turned, attempting to elbow him but his height made it difficult. He already seemed know that she was going to try to stomp on his feet as he moved his feet. In return, he tried to swing her around to where he could pin her down. Which, if this were another situation, would have been funny because Gerard _knew_ that she didn't get pinned that easily.

"Stop...struggling!"

She didn't answer back, fighting against him. She should have realized it sooner, but if Gerard was here, that meant Largo was too. That counted for two of the six, adding the Knights to this...well, it wasn't good for anyone on board of this place. If taking down Gerard meant that she could get to the boy, then she wouldn't hesitate.

Using all her strength, the Guardian pushed back until Gerard was against the side railing. She was careful enough that they hadn't tipped over yet, but they were getting there. He tried to moving and pushing back only to realize if he did that, she might be able to escape. Reyna open her mouth to threat to knock them both overboard when a cry from an animal was heard.

Shit, she forgot about the griffon!

Just as she yelled at Gerard to let go of her, the beast sent a strong gust of wind at them.

She didn't know what had really happen until she felt her and Gerard going over the railing. The griffon grew smaller and her mind tried to think of why for a few moments. It almost hadn't dawned on her that they were falling just yet. The wind was brushing past her, but it still hadn't occurred—not until she felt him squeeze her tighter and darkness hit.

.

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**.**

Her chest rose, a gasp escaping her mouth. For a long time, at least to her, she didn't even move. It took her a few minutes to become aware of her surroundings. She was uncomfortably on the ground and from the faint breathing she heard close by, Gerard was still alive. Her body ached but she left that thought to think back to before the fall. Gerard must have taken the full impact of the fall. Luckily, it seemed that some trees and some bushes helped soften the landing. In fact, it was a wonder they were even alive...

Finally moving to sit up, she grabbed her side. Her eyes looked around and finally landed on her friend. His chest was rising slowly but he was alive. The problem now was figuring out what to do next. It might be best to leave him and if anything, she didn't want to think about might happen if he _did_ wake up.

With a burst of energy, Reyna managed to push herself into a standing position. It was painful and it felt like her body was screaming at her. However, she pushed past it to check more into their..._**her**_ surroundings. The Tartarus wasn't in sight, which was worrisome, but it wasn't to be helped. For now, she needed to focus on figuring out where she was and heading to St. Binah. That had been the agreed rendezvous should something happen while on this mission.

What little strength she had left, she used to drag Gerard further into the dense greenery surrounding them. She almost fell on her backside a couple of times before it was done and over with. It might have felt like a waste to some, but it would weigh less on her conscious that she left Gerard in some shade before heading off. Sure, leaving him was bad enough, but she didn't want him to die exactly. Anyway, with that done, she went on a search for a long and durable stick. It had to be a certain length for what she was about to do to work.

After she found one, she quickly found a large stone and made her way over to the dirt road. Place the stone down at a certain angle, she went to place the stick in the ground. She made sure everything was level and marked with the shadow before she sat down nearby to wait.

While she did so, she took in everything in full. Gerard was out for now, but he'd wake up soon enough. Hopefully after she was long gone and really, she thought he would be okay. Reyna had, at least, that much faith in him. They both took the same survival course when they started training. He would survive this just as she had. Besides that, she took in her condition. She had some minor wounds prior to the fall, nothing serious, though how her uniform seem to tell otherwise. The blood stains weren't hers, but that might be what someone thought if they saw it. This was worrisome...

She was also certain she may have broken something, possibly a rib or two.

Time past slowly, with the Guardian letting her thoughts wonder. A part of her wanted to lay down and rest but there was no certainty that she'd be able to get back up afterward. All she needed to do was wait a bit longer...

Finally, before she went crazy, she went to check on the stick. The shadow had moved enough that she could mark it with another stone. With that much done, she was able to get a vague idea of which way was easy and west. Reyna ended up drawing a right angle, figuring which way would be north and south. Nodding to herself, she figured which way St. Binah should be before she turned to give one glance toward the foliage.

Shaking her head, she kicked the stick away and threw the stones to cover her tracks. If she was lucky, Gerard would think she headed toward Engeve.

**.**

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**.**

A couple of hours later, she was still walking, however slow it was. She was thirsty, the pain catching up to her. Reyna couldn't tell how much longer it was until she got to St. Binah, but she was starting to have doubts that she was going to make. The problem was that she couldn't just stop, not even to rest. Not only was she to meet up with the others, but it was her duty to make sure the boy was alright. To ensure his safety above all others.

She licked her lips and continued on. By now, she was limping and faint dizzy spells came and went, but onward she went. She had been through much more than this and survived it. This time was no different. Reyna knew she could overcome this.

The Guardian managed another yard before she stopped. She thought she heard something in the distance, but felt uncertain since it could have been her imagination playing tricks on her. It was a little unsettling to think she was going crazy this early on in her journey to the Citadel. Shaking her head, she pushed herself forward, concentrating on moving one foot in front of the other and repeating this process. She didn't even stop when she swore the noise was getting louder. She opted to ignore it again because the moment she stopped, she wouldn't be able to move again for a long while.

It wasn't until a large shadow appeared over her and the noises, both from an animal and something appeared. She turned her head and found her eyes gazing at a carriage. Her mouth open, but no words left.

The coachman had a worried expression on his face as he asked, "Miss, do you need help? Are you alright?"

Reyna bit back a retort, only just nodding her head. What was it with people asking if someone was alright when they clear were _**not**_?

Before the man could get another word out, the door to the carriage opened. A head popped out and to her surprise, Reyna recognized who it was. Bright blue eyes met her own before the body of a young woman came flying out. Zae nearly crashed into her, but stopped just before she did so. She began to looked over Reyna, saying how horrid she looked. Zae, before even letting Reyna say anymore, turned to the coachman and told him that her fiancé would take care of her anything that may come up and also her fare for letting her onboard with the rest of them.

Without even letting her protest, not that she was going to, Zae dragged Reyna to the carriage door and helped her in. Though the Guardian was very grateful, she didn't say this aloud.

Once inside, she found herself staring at three other people, two men and a woman. One of the men had dark red hair with soft brown eyes and once he saw her condition, said eyes widen. He quickly erased the surprise look on his face and showed her a kind smile. The other woman was also a redhead, lighter than the other male's. She also had pretty green eyes, almost comparable to an emerald's. In a way, the woman almost made her think of Luke, but she very much doubt this woman had anything close to that boy's personality. The last person was the other male, who had pale green hair, a lot lighter than the Fon Master's and he seemed to be wearing clothes that would be associated with someone of higher class.

Zae hopped in behind her, telling the driver that they were ready, she quickly pulled the male redhead over. This, she assumed, had to be 'Anthony', the man that Zae had mentioned to be so 'perfect' for her. It was hard to believe that conversation was only a few days ago. Resting a hand on Reyna's shoulder, Zae asked her fiancé, "Do you think you can help her out, dear?"

"Of course. Have a little faith in me, my love." This was almost too sickening to watch as they leaned in and touched noses. Like, she wasn't even joking about that. It was...almost disgusting cute.

Almost being the key word. She was just glad they hadn't been baby-talking to each other like she had seen some couples do.

Placing his hand over her head, the man's expression changed as he concentrated. He mumbled something under his breathe and soon, a warm feeling coursed through her. Letting out a sigh, her body began to relax. Reyna felt extremely fortunate that Anthony was a seventh fonist. Perhaps not a skilled one, but enough to patch her up. When he was done, he gave her a smile and nodded his head. "There we go. Feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you." She was very thankful, but even then she still had one question. "Where is this carriage heading, if I might ask?"

She probably should have done that before getting on, but Zae's pushing kind of made that difficult to bring up.

"St. Binah." The red-haired female answered, her gaze on Reyna.

Zae nodded her head, informing the Guardian. "That's right, what she said! Me and Anthony are heading there to pick up his caravan before we head to our next destination."

"And what about you, seeing as how you were brought back to life?" This came from the nobleman or whatever he was.

"I need to head to St. Binah myself." She answered truthfully, seeing no point in lying about that.

"That's great then!" exclaimed Anthony, sitting back to where he had been previously. "We should be there in a couple of hours, I believe."

Once again, Zae pulled her further in, sitting the Guardian down at the end of the seat her and Anthony occupied.

This was when she noticed the redhead female's eyes on her, mostly glancing at the blood on her outfit. Their eyes met and Reyna raised an eyebrow at her before a question left the other female's mouth. "Monster?"

"Something like that." Reyna ended up answering back vaguely, hoping that she didn't have to elaborate. What happen on board of the Tartarus was a private matter that no civilian should have to know about. The less involved, the better. For their safety, but also because she didn't exactly trust these guys with her life. Yes, they had saved her, but she didn't know any of them too well. It was better to be safe than sorry at this moment.

Or maybe she was being too paranoid...

"So I suppose we'll have to deal with the sight of your savage-looking appearance." The nobleman commented offhandedly as he waved his hand and turned his gaze toward the window.

The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him. I've dealt with him since Grand Chokmah." This was followed by a shrug while the man next to her glared at her just before turning back to the window. Reyna was pretty certain he huffed, but didn't honestly care if he had or not. "Anyway, what business do you have in St. Binah, if you don't mind me asking?"

Zae looked curious as well, literally bouncing in her seat in anticipation. She would have only shrugged, but she was certain that wouldn't go over well with some of the people here. She just wanted them off her back. "I just have business with the Field Marshal."

"Is that so?" The redhead female asked before she quickly introduced herself. "I'm Alexandra Garcia, but just call me Alex. The guy over by the window is Daemon and I guess you already know Azaelia and Anthony."

Deciding to at least introduce herself, she answered, "Reyna...Reyna Milas."

"You're an...Oracle Knight, aren't you?" Daemon question, though his gaze continued to look out the window. The question, obviously, was meant for her.

"Yes." Admitting that wouldn't be so bad, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable. She didn't really want to talk anymore and started to sink into her seat. Alex seemed to catch onto this faster than the others and changed the subject. "By the way, Azaelia, you're named after a flower, aren't you?"

Whatever the reason, Reyna let out a sigh at the topic changing from her to Zae. She may not know this Alex woman, but she gave her a slight nod of the head. At least from here, the conversation could go to other subjects. Taking this time to lean against the seat, she closed her eyes. Reyna figured if she looked like was asleep, they'd leave her alone until they arrived at St. Binah.

Time passed and when the carriage stopped, Reyna pretended to have been just waking up.

"We arrived!" Zae said playfully, waiting as Anthony reached for the door. They exited together while Alex followed behind them. Reyna was just behind Alex when something fell on her shoulders and she turned to see some kind of cloak on her shoulder.

She turned toward Daemon as he leaned back into his seat. "Just thought you wouldn't want people staring at the blood."

"You're not getting off?" Reyna asked while she secured the cloak over herself.

"No, I had some business in Engeve I finished and when I got on this ride, he told me he was stopping at St. Binah first for these guys." He shrugged, waving her off as he had done beforehand.

"Ah."

Leaving their conversation at that, leaving the carriage and shutting the door behind her. She met Alex's gaze and noted how she gave her a quizzing look while she rolled her eyes and gestured at the carriage. Alex seemed to understand well enough and left it at that.

Zae and Anthony were talking to the driver, likely sorting out the extra money they had to pay. Waiting for them to finish, she approached the duo while Alex dealt with her own fare. "Thanks again. I probably wouldn't have made if the carriage hadn't come by when it did or that you paid for me and healed me."

Anthony smiled. "Of course, Reyna. I'm glad we could help. I hope your journey goes well."

"As does yours."

Zae, unsurprisingly, wrapped her arms around the Guardian. Reyna stiffen and felt uneasy by the sudden contact, but settled down after a few moments. Zae pulled back and gave Reyna her own smile. "Maybe we'll meet again! You never know, but be safe Reyna!"

With that, Reyna watched as the couple departed into the city.

Alex appeared next to her after a moment. "You said that you had business with the Field Marshal?"

"I do. I have something I need to talk about with him." She answered, uncertain why the redhead showed more of an interest now than she did earlier. It was curious, but she decided to get to the point. "What of it?"

"I'll take you to the Field Marshal's house. I have to give him a report anyway." Reyna raised her eyebrows, her curiosity rising while Alex only shrugged in return. "Just thought I'd help you out."

"I appreciate it, Alex. It'll make things go faster for me." This would probably work out better than going at it on her own. Besides, if they were both going to the same place, then what was the harm in it? "Shall we then?"

With a nod from Alex, the two women heading through the gates of St. Binah.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hello lovelies and welcome to a new year! I felt inspired to finish this chapter. I hope to finish rewriting the rest of these chapters so we can get on with the next part of the story some of you older readers haven't seen. Though, please be aware that I may change a few things in the coming chapters since I have a general plot for where this story is going.

In this chapter and the next, the character, Alex Garcia, is **IHaveNoIdea8**'s creation. She also happens to have a fanfiction of her won where Alex shows up. This might be a bit of a spoiler for those of you who haven't read it and start to after this chapter. Her fanfic is 'Not What It Seems' and I really suggest checking it out, despite this spoiler! Please and thank you!

Anyway, I hope you all are well and I'll do my best to update this faster! Take care everyone!

**Chapter 9: The Citadel- **Reyna, having made it to St. Binah, is able to meet with Elder McGovern. She requests aid and a place to stay until she's able to meet up with everyone else. Alex Garcia offers her place and the two get to know each other better. However, this peace won't last for long. Elsewhere, we find out what has happen to Gerard...


	9. The Citadel

**So let us not live in deceit and become self righteous for a simple **  
><strong>act of goodwill because maybe once upon a time in our lives we<strong>  
><strong>needed a favour from others, and we have forgotten that we owe <strong>  
><strong>them something as well. Just remember life is a two way road.<strong>  
>-Amy Pulumbarit<p>

**AN(1)**: If it wasn't obvious from the previous chapter, this has spoilers from IHaveNoIdea8's story, Not What It Seems. Please read at your own discretion if you're not caught up to around chapter 22.

* * *

><p>"Please, you can refer to me as Elder McGovern. I have since retired from my duty as Field Marshal." The older gentleman spoke, his eye twinkling. Were she not distracted by his appearance, she might have found herself a bit annoyed.<p>

However, now wasn't the time for that.

"Forgive me. You were referred to as such when my companion spoke of you." Briefly, she wondered why Alex hadn't corrected her when Reyna had spoken of the elder earlier. Perhaps she could ask her later, but it didn't matter so much now. What's done was done.

"If I may ask, who was this companion you speak of?" Elder McGovern question, peering closer at Reyna with his one eye.

"Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Malkuth military."

The other man, Glen McGovern, asked. "And who are you exactly?"

"Ionian Major Reyna Milas, Commander of the Fon Master Guardians."

A raise of the brow from the younger McGovern followed by a nod from the elder as he spoke. "Well, we will gladly lend you aid. What is it exactly that you need?"

"Just a place to stay while I await the arrival of Colonel Curtiss and my other companions. I wish not to burden you further."

"She can stay at my place." Alex piped up from behind, causing Reyna to turn and catch her gaze. The Guardian received a shrug. "I'm sure Adela won't mind. She would love to have a guest over."

Turning back to the two males, Elder McGovern heeded the suggestion and met Reyna's eyes. "I hope this is fine?"

"It is. I graciously accept the help you have given me." Honestly, she preferred it was Alex than a stranger anyway. She still needed to clean up before everyone else arrived. She only hoped that it wouldn't be too long. The longer she would have the wait, the more she feared something bad may have happened to the rest of the group.

"Then I will leave you in Miss Garcia's care."

With that over with, the Guardian turned to face her host. With a gesture to follow, they left the building. Prior to the meeting, Alex had dropped off a report to one of the soldiers stationed in the building and then guided her to where Elder McGovern and Gleen McGovern were currently.

Curiously, she wondered why help a stranger out. Reyna felt a bit skeptical but Alex didn't seem to think anything of it. Anyway, once they were both outside, she asked, "Do you need anything? Like some gels or maybe a change of clothes?"

"A change of clothes. Anything will do until I clean my own." A pause as she considered her situation. She only had a few gels on her thanks to a small pocket she had stitched into her uniform, which those gels were strictly for emergencies. Other than that, she had nothing. "I think that's what I need the most. I shouldn't have to worry about anything else once my companions arrive."

"If you're sure, then come on. I think my sister had a few spare clothes that you can wear. Adela will probably even wash your clothes for you."

"I hope not to be a burden." She replied back, an automatic response to someone being overly kind to her.

Alex, though, was quick with her replies. "You won't be."

Leaving the conversation at that, the two continued on their way.

The city really was beautiful, though occasionally, her eyes would glance at the tree. It was the biggest one she had ever seen and she wasn't even exaggerating when she thought that it may be the biggest one in the world. All around, people were busy about with their life. Only a few probably had any idea of the war that was to come if they didn't get this peace treaty to the capital of Kimlasca. Anyway, once they were close, Alex indicated the residential area she lived. Her house wouldn't be too far from where they were, a few minutes at least.

She didn't like being in this situation and hoped that once Jade and he others arrived, she could find a way to repay Alex. It was a thing she hated—owing people. Daemon with his cloak or when she had been 'saved' by Zae and Anthony. In a way, it made her feel helpless and even if Alex told her she wasn't, the idea of relying on another had never appeased her much. She understood too well what it had been like to feel helpless and unable to take care of yourself. She never really wanted to feel like that again.

Her attention drifted from these thoughts as she noticed all the families around her. Someone deep inside of her, a feeling tugged at her. Reyna pushed it back, ignoring the faded memories of a gentle father and a stern, but loving mother. Memories swirled around in her mind before she realized that's all they were; memories. Reyna liked to think she had put her past behind her, but sometimes, that wasn't always the case when it came to these little reminders.

It was thanks to Alex that she was brought out of her thoughts.

"So, what do you actually do in the Order? Being a Fon Master Guardian and all."

"Commander of the Fon Master Guardians." Reyna added, pausing for a brief moment before deciding that there was nothing wrong with telling her more. "Besides dealing with the innings of the Order, I'm the one that picks who enters the program as a trainee. After they graduate, that's when I personally train with them, along the other Guardians."

The redhead gave her a sideway glance. "Is that so? What kind of weapon do you use?"

She held out her hands, showing the gauntlets. They weren't oversized or anything of that sort. They appeared almost as normal hand amour, nothing more, and nothing less. Her leg braces were woven within her boots, allowing her kicks to be more effective. "I have to be quick and able to execute any course of action. My duty, along with the other Guardians, is to protect the Fon Master at all cost."

"You take it very seriously, don't you?"

Her eyes met green ones. "Wouldn't you?"

"I wasn't saying that I wouldn't or trying to make it sound like a bad thing." She replied back. "It was the way you spoke about it that made me notice it, is all."

The Guardian shrugged, starting to take a more casual approach to what was going around her. "I do, but I was trained to be that way. It's important since he is the leader of the Order."

At such an age too…

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that." There was a pregnant pause before Alex pointed out a nice two-story house. "That's where I live. Adela should be home, but be prepared. She likes to coddle people."

Her lips twitch and small smirk appeared not long after. "Thanks for the warning."

.

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.

She had changed into some comfortable clothes while Adela, at her insistence, washed her clothes. Reyna honestly wondered what the elderly woman thought of the bloodstain but realized that she had probably seen blood before. Considered the skirmishes between Kimlasca and Malkuth lately, along with the Hod War, Reyna doubted that this woman _hadn't_ seen her fair share of blood.

The clothes she borrowed from Alex's sister were a snug fit, nearly the same size as her. That was good, but above all, she had placed the sealed letter somewhere safe in the guest bedroom she would be staying in tonight.

All was well.

Afterward, she asked Alex if she wanted to spar with her. She agreed and they two left the house and headed to the backyard of Adela's house. It was spacious and perfect for them. When asked, though, Reyna told her they could do a few hand-to-hand combat rounds before going to weapons. Alex told her she didn't mind and they prepared themselves.

Alex was good, better than a few of her Guardians. Probably even close to being on par with most of the Oracle Knights. The young woman had managed to get her good in one instance, but that was all Reyna allowed her to get afterwards, taking this more serious as if she were training with one of her Guardians.

They took a short rest, the redhead going to get some water for them, before they moved on to weapons. Reyna watched carefully as the young woman gripped her dual daggers. One was of an interesting design, a note she would remember and try to use to her advantage.

Honestly, she wasn't sure how much time passed. The only thing for certain was that Alex knew a thing or two about fighting. More than an average citizen. She wondered if she was a soldier off-duty or perhaps even an mercenary? Her stance revealed years of training and her stamina showed that she had done some exercises to help her from falling to fatigue. Even her control over fonons was excellent.

Even when she put more into her hits than what might considered fair, Alex proved to be able take the blow with her daggers. She was fast too, able to keep up with her without much trouble. Reyna honestly wouldn't have mind having the redhead train some of her Guardians were the opportunity to arise.

Reyna blocked an attack from the blades with her gauntlets before twist her body and trying to hit her with a kick. The only advantages Reyna had was experience and her ability to be creative when the situation called for it.

They just finished a bout with each other when a voice calling out to them broke their concentrations. "Alexandra! Miss Milas! Dinner is ready."

Their attentions leaving each other, the two females turned toward the backdoor where the elderly lady waved her cane at them, a toothy grin on her face. She gave them a nod before hobbling back into the house.

The sun was setting, indicating the time that has passed.

A sigh left her lips as she relaxed and let her body unwind. Alex was making her way over to the Guardian, a smile on her face. "You're good," She commented, "A lot better than I'm used to. But I guess that's to be expected from the Commander of the Fon Master Guardians."

"Have to be at top form if I want to protect the Fon Master. Still, you're pretty good yourself."

Gesturing for the Guardian to follow her, they headed toward the house. "Come on. Adela's cooking is pretty great."

"Someone work up an appetite, huh?" Unfortunately, Reyna's stomach decided to make an announcement as it growled from her own hunger.

Reyna simply chuckled at the timing while Alex smirked and said, "Probably, but it appears I'm not the only one with an appetite of her own."

"Apparently. Let's hurry, _Alexandra_." Her tone was light, teasing. It was almost similar to how she might have treated one of her Guardians.

After dinner, Alex had to do the dishes. It was a chore that she didn't like if the expression on her face was any indication. Adela waved her cane at the redhead while she shooed Reyna to the living room, which was a shame since it was amusing to watch the elderly woman. She had only been standing in the room for a minute when the older woman came out, standing by the Guardian. "She'll be a bit, dearie. I hope ya don't mind t'at."

There was a pause as Reyna could hear the hints of an accent. The question that followed almost felt natural. "You're from Chesedonia?"

A surprised look appeared on Adela's face before she gave her a bright smile. "Aye, I am."

"I...used to be from Chesedonia. I could just barely catch of a hint from the way you spoke." She quickly explained, hoping she wasn't being rude. Normally, she wouldn't have cared but she figured she wouldn't have enjoyed it if someone had figured out she was Chesedonia herself. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have-"

"Child, 'tis fine. I don't getta speak too often 'bout ma days in Chesedonia." Reyna couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the twinkle in Adela's eyes. "T'ank ya..."

They exchanged a small conversation, but Reyna's thoughts drifted after a while. She was worried about the Fon Master and Anise, knowing that Jade could take care of himself. Adela soon seemed to pick up on this and let her be. The silenced help out a bit and by the time Alex appeared, Reyna appeared more at ease. While she wasn't reassured just quite, it would do her no good to fret over the others. She was in the company of two people that had taken her in for the night.

"A'ight, darlin's, time for this ol' lady ta get ta bed. Ya'll better not stay up all night or I'll be whippin' someone's behind!" And for the last time that night, the elderly woman shook her cane at the two of them. It was, obviously, for more of a dramatic effect than anything else. She hobbled away, disappearing down the hallway.

Alex sighed and let out a grumble. "...still treats me like I'm a kid." Leaning back into the chair she was sitting in, she asked the Guardian, "So Reyna, you think you're going to be here tomorrow?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Why do you ask?"

"Since my sister decided to stay in Grand Chokmah a bit longer, I'll be stuck here with Adela. Don't get me wrong, though! She's cool and all, being a mother and grandma all wrapped in one." Crossing her arms, she shook her head. "It's not like I can ask her to train me though."

"So you're saying you'd get bored beating up on a grandma?" Reyna teased lightly, a grin on her face.

Alex laughed before saying rather sarcastically, "Yes, exactly. Since I can't beat up Adela, I need someone as a stand-in for my sister. Want the job?"

"I already have a job, thanks." retorted the Guardian before she stood, stretching her arms. "But if I am here tomorrow, we can train some more. But anyway, I think I'll take a quick shower before heading to bed myself."

Alex stood as well. "I'll get you some clothes to sleep in. Adela mentioned earlier that your uniform should be clean by now, so you'll have something to wear tomorrow."

Nodding her head, she replied, "Thanks, Alex."

Leaving her be, Reyna headed upstairs.

She had taken a shower earlier when they had arrived earlier. Adela had been quick to push her into the bathroom the moment she saw the state she had been in. Reyna probably wouldn't have been able to protest even if she had wanted to. Despite that, the hot water had helped a lot to pull away the tension in her body, mostly her shoulders. This second shower was somewhat similar, but having trained with Alex earlier and eaten to help quell her demanding stomach, this was more of a 'cooling down' kind of shower.

Once finished, Alex, as promised, had found her something to sleep in. Pulling them on and thanking her once again, she was left to her own accord. Reyna headed to the guest bedroom and, gathering her thoughts, she combed her hair with her fingers. It had been a long while since she let the Fon Master out of her sight for so long. It bothered her and she worried about Anise as well. The Tartarus's situation had been bleak, at best, and she had no clue how it had ended after she had fallen off the side.

The others had to have made it out. She was given no choice but to believe that.

.

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.

"_Commander!~" Her voice is light, almost airy and Reyna can even tell who it is before turning around to meet familiar pigtails. A grin is on her face. "Ion said he wanted to know if it's alright to take a walk around Daath."_

_She nearly replies when she feels someone tug at her wrist, trying to drag her somewhere. To her surprise, she meets the gaze of Anise once more. "Hurry, Ion fell down a flight of stairs!" _

_Wait what?!_

_She barely has time to process this, feeling a vague sense of déjà vu. Her words seemed so-_

"_Reyna, there is a crowd over there. We better make sure Ion doesn't get lost!" _

_Green fills her vision as the boy smiles at her. "Reyna, thank you. I know you're busy with training Guardians, but I appreciate it."_

_Laughter follows this as the youngest Guardian stares at her from atop of Tokunaga. Not far behind her is the Fon Master, staff in hand. He waves at her, gesturing for her to come over. An overwhelming sense of warmth overcomes her. In a distance, she could almost see the others, recognizing the colors of their uniforms._

_A smile on her face, she approaches._

"**R—NA!"**

_Wha...?_

"**W- UP!"**

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up instantly, her body tense and ready for battle. "What's wrong? What happened? Is the Fon Master here?!"

Quickly, Alex tried to explain. "No, it's something else. Oracle Knights have arrived at the gate and they're looking for someone. You aren't-"

"No." Reyna spoke calmly, though she was still ready to fight as if someone was going to come through the door any moment. "It's not like that."

"You _aren't_ wanted then?" Alex seemed skeptical, especially given how she was likely the only Order member here besides the Knights. It made sense for her to come to come to that conclusion.

Her gaze remained the redhead female, searching her eyes. Her tone was even when Reyna decided to finally answer her. "I told you, it's not like that. I can't reveal much but I helped the Fon Master leave Daath without permission."

"So...you kidnapped him."

Alex was so eloquent with words.

The Guardian let out a frustrated sigh and attempted to...explain further. "Look, he wanted to go. He wished to do something good for everyone but those fools wouldn't let him."

This confused her apparently. "He's the Fon Master though. Shouldn't he be able to do whatever he wants?"

"Things aren't that easy. Not right now, not in Daath." There was a small pause before Reyna shook her head. "I just need to see Elder McGovern. This needs to be sorted out before it gets worse."

Arms crossed, Alex seemed to be thinking this over before she simply nodded her head. "Then get ready. I'll meet you downstairs."

Gratefully, she did just that, reaching for her uniform. It took a few minutes for her to throw off the gown, put on her uniform, and braid her hair. Afterwards, she rushed downstairs where Alex stood ready. Just as she reached the bottom, she added, "Thanks Alex."

"Yeah. Let's go."

They didn't waste any time, though Reyna briefly wished she had at least left a note to thank Adela for the food and her help. Regardless, she had to focus on what was going on. Reyna noted that it had to be early in the morning as it was still kind of dark out and though they didn't run, they certainly weren't taking a stroll either. It didn't take too terribly long for them to near the main building but Reyna stopped in her tracks. In order to get to the main building, they had to walk in front of the entrance.

The problem? There was a lot of Oracle Knights in that direction.

Reyna took a few steps back, catching Alex's attention.

"What?"

Reyna gestured with chin in the direction of the entrance. "I'm pretty sure I'll be noticed if I go that way. Is there another way we can get into the main building."

"Yeah, follow me." She answered, leading Reyna a ways back before they took a different route. They went through a few alleyways before arriving at the back of some building, which she assumed was the place they were trying to get to. Alex dug around her pocket before finding a small key and unlocking the door. She gave Reyna a look and said, "I guess this goes without saying to not mention this to anyone."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded her head for the two of them entered. Upon entering, Reyna noted they the place was already busy, which wasn't a surprise considering all the Oracle Knights outside. A few soliders nodded at the redhead and continued on. Reyna, obviously, didn't know where to go from here but Alex took the lead once more. They walked for a minute in silence before they nearly turned a corner when the Guardian grabbed the redhead, pulling her back and clasping a free hand over her mouth.

"Shh." She whispered just as another voice spoke aloud.

"If they can't say if anyone suspicious has arrived, we'll just keep guard around the city. They're bound to arrive sooner or later." _That's Legretta's voice!_ "As for the other, she may have already left. For now, report back to Sync. From there, we'll decide our next course of action."

"Yes Ma'am!"

She heard footsteps and remained very still. A minute or two passed before Reyna relaxed, knowing that they were gone. She let go of Alex and took a step back, letting out a breath of relief. Her eyes glanced at the redhead next to her and she saw Alex take a deep breath before glaring at her. "What the **hell**?!"

"Sorry, I just acted on instinct. I just caught sight of God-General Legretta just before she spoke." Reyna took a moment to rub the bridge of her nose, mildly annoyed herself. "I didn't want her to catch sight of us or, in particular, me."

Alex, still frowning, but not glaring, waved it off. "Okay, I get it. We should hurry though before any more God-Generals appear."

"I agree."

They checked the hallway Legretta had left to make sure they wouldn't be surprised and hurried along to the room she had met Elder McGovern and McGovern Junior. Upon their arrival, the two appeared to be having a small argument, which stopped the moment they entered the room. The older of the two McGoverns made his way over to the women. "Miss Milas? Is there a problem?"

The Guardian gave him a respectful bow. "Not exactly, but I would say my being here has something to do with the Oracle Knights."

At this point, Glen McGovern spoke up. "You are one of them, are you not? Perhaps you can explain more on _who_ they are looking for."

Her eyes narrowed, not so much glaring at the man, but she did not appreciate that tone he had taken upon addressing her. "That would be an easy explanation. Who they're looking for is me."

Truthfully, if they were looking for her and what she had picked up from Legretta's words, they must have known that Reyna had the letter. As for the others, they must have gotten away, though that must also mean they are traveling on foot. There was no way anyone could miss the Tartarus and besides, the safest bet was that the dreadnaught had been taken over from what she last remembered. Regardless, it was not safe to be here much longer.

"And why would that be, Miss Milas?" asked Elder McGovern.

There was a pause before she straighten. "I cannot give away too heavy of details, but what I am allowed to tell you is that I am on a mission with the Fon Master. We've been separated and though I would wish to remain here in St. Binah to await his arrival, I must leave. He entrusted me with something vital to this mission. I only ask that you allow me to leave."

Glen looked unconvinced but Elder McGovern kept a steady single-eye gaze on her. "You are telling us the truth, Miss Milas?"

"Yes. I am almost certain that my companions, Jade Curtiss and Anise Tatlin, another Guardian, will be here soon with the Fon Master." She wasn't sure if she was convincing them that she needed to get out of here before she was found, but she had to keep trying. "If I may, I would like to leave a letter to explain why I am not here."

Silence followed for a few moments until Elder McGovern nodded his head. "Then I'll have Glen get you some paper and something to write with."

"Father! You're just going to let her go?! She could be lying!"

"She is with the Fon Master and I have a feeling she is telling the truth. I'm sure whatever is going on with the Fon Master and this Oracle Knight business, it will be okay." Turning his attention away from his son, he gave Reyna a nod. "I'll make sure to keep those Oracle Knights preoccupied."

Reyna bowed once more and while Glen looked displeased, he did not argue. It didn't take long for him to gather a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Reyna scribbled a message for Jade and Anise. With that done, Reyna told them that she would be on her way. However, Alex spoke up and said she could show Reyna a different way out besides the front entrance, to which Reyna agreed. Bidding the two McGoverns a farewell, she followed Alex back out of the Malkuth base.

They were on the street and walking before Alex decided to speak to her again. "So, secret mission with the Fon Master, trying to escape the Oracle Knights despite you technically being one, and who knows what else. You sure you can handle this by yourself?"

Reyna was glad for one final quip from the redhead before she left. She would have hated leaving on bad or awkward terms.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle myself. Just another day as a Fon Master Guardian and commander of said Guardians." A small chuckle left her lips, surprisingly.

A smile formed on the other female's lips. "Good to know."

They walked for a bit longer before arriving at a small passage way. Alex explained that it was just a straight path so she shouldn't have any problem getting through the other side. Then, before Reyna turned to leave, she handed her a small satchel she had been carrying with her. Surprised, Reyna wasn't sure what to say. Alex picked up on this. "Take it. You'll need it more than I do. Especially since I'm not sure where you'll be going. It as some supplies inside that will help."

"Thanks Alex. Really, I mean it-"

"So you didn't mean it before."

A let out a laugh, shaking her head. "I meant it every time I've said it. Still, this will help."

"It's no problem. Just take it and go. If I see the Fon Master or Colonel Curtiss, I'll make sure they get that letter."

Nodding her head, she took a deep breath and readied herself. "Tell Adela thanks too. Maybe we'll meet again, who knows."

"Maybe. I guess this will be a 'see you later' then."

A smirk appeared on Reyna's lips. "Yeah, see you later."

* * *

><p><strong>AN(2): <strong>Wow, okay here's another update. I should try to upload these faster because I don't want to just update this monthly. I will never finish it if I go at that pace. So from here on out, I will try my best to super update so we can get caught up to where I had originally left off. I've been having problems lately since I've changed how I want to do some things, so I'm setting certain stuff up early on.

Also expect changes from what I originally had, so it may be a good idea to read the chapters fully so you can catch those extra details I added. But anyway, I plan to super update since this is the last chapter which will be purely in Reyna's POV for a while! Which is good, because man, Reyna is fun and all to write as but I need a break!

Oh! And I'd like to thank IHaveNoIdea8 again since she helped me with Alex's parts and letting me use Alex for this. I still haven't quite gotten her character down so this helped me greatly! But yeah, I appreciate any and all reviews. I shall try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can!

**Chapter 10: Pave The Way Forward**- Gerard finds himself struggling to keep going as he continues to chase after his best friend. Questioning why she would kidnap the Fon Master, the Oracle Knight soon find himself in the company of the party. He soon realizes that maybe, his mission isn't what it seems and he soon is forced to make a decision between his duty to his division or his duty to the Fon Master. Meanwhile, Reyna makes her way toward the next rendezvous point but soon finds herself involved in something more...


	10. Pave The Way Forward

**We're still human. Human because we keep on battling against all these horrors, **  
><strong>the horrors caused and not caused by us. We battle not in order to stay alive, <strong>  
><strong>that would be too materialistic, for we are body and spirit, but in order to love <strong>  
><strong>each other.<strong>  
>– Kathy Acker<p>

* * *

><p>He had to get up or else he may very well die on this spot. Morbid as that thought was, it motivated him enough to push past the pain and ache he felt from his entire body. He was a soldier, he was meant to endure and strive forward. When Gerard finally managed to, at least, sit up, he began to pull off the tabard part of his uniform. Each movement he made, though, caused him to make a face. Dear Lorelei, how far had be fallen?<p>

He honestly hoped that he hadn't broken anything and that it was just the pain that made him thin—no. He was pretty sure he had a broken rib or two.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about the heat as he finished taking off some more of his armor. Not too much so he'd be defenseless but enough so that he could breath. He preferred the lighter clothes underneath the metal plates and tabard. He searched around but, he couldn't find his axe. It must had landed somewhere else and the Oracle Knight wasn't sure if he had the energy to look around for it. He had a dagger hidden away and while it may not be the same as his main weapon, it would have to do for now.

Grunting as he move to stand, Gerard quickly set to work. When he figured out which direction was which, he assumed that Reyna would head...hmm. To St. Binah, but there was the possibility that she thought he would think this and head to Engeve. She could have also thought he would think the previous thought and head to St. Binah. After weighing both options, he decided to go with St. Binah, despite how far away it likely was. He had to hope he made the right choice.

He set off in that direction.

Some time passed and Gerard soon found his thoughts continuing to drift. It offered some solace as it helped him forgot his situation momentarily. The point of enduring all of this was so he could catch up to Reyna so that he could understand. He wanted to know _and_ understand why she did what she did. It just didn't make sense for her to go as far as she did. She _kidnapped_ the Fon Master and even aided that Malkuth Colonel. It was so out of character for her, he had even been questioned. He was just as at a lost as they were, more so, in fact!

In the end, he was allowed to go with his division, though Commander Largo was kind enough to ask him if he was certain he wanted to do this. That was the kind of person his Commander was and though he may be bias, Gerard was glad to be part of first division. He had told his Commander that he had no doubts and that he _had_ to do this. He was going to find out what had been going through Reyna's mind and show everyone that she had been doing this for the well-being of the Order _and_ the Fon Master.

If not him, who else? The other Guardians were under some scrutiny and he didn't know anyone else who would go after her like he would.

All these thoughts were the same as before even up to that moment he found her on the Tartarus. When her eyes met his and he just couldn't help but ask her why? Why had she done it?

By the end of that, he had been deceived by her, taken advantage of because of their friendship and how he was as a person. Gerard should have known better though—she was just that type of soldier. Not ruthless, but if she had to do something underhanded like that, she would. Anything to protect the Fon Master and make sure that his safety came above all else. It was something he had admired about her. Still did, in fact. She was strong, resourceful, intelligent. Even after she had fallen of the Tartarus, she knew what had to be done.

Despite all that, she was still good. He saw the marks on the ground, indicating something heavy had been dragged and it lead right to where he had been laying. She was still willing to go out of her way to make sure he hadn't been in the sun the entire time he was passed out. That had to mean something!

_'Take it slow, won't do you any good if you pass out now.' _He thought to himself as he continued. He wobbled a little yet never succumbed to his desire to rest. He was certain the moment he sat down or stopped walking, he would not be able to get back up. Gerard had to keep pushing himself, to keep enduring the pain until he made it to St. Binah.

He walked.

He walked some more.

He walked until his body finally couldn't handle it anymore.

Collapsing to the ground, the soldier let out a groan. Even _that_ took energy! He swallowed, but it was hard and his throat was dry. His breathing began to pick up as he struggled to lift himself from the ground. It took all the energy he had left and when he did manage to take a step, he fell back down to the ground.

He blacked out.

For how long, he didn't know. It had to be some time later because he was opening his eyes, there were shadows above him. Funny thing was, he was pretty sure he could still tell that the sun was out. So what—

"Gerard?"

Who?

He lifted his head up, catching the gaze of someone with bright brown eyes. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but nothing came. He could barely make out the expression on the person's face before he lost consciousness once more.

**.**

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**.**

Gerard leaned back against the tree as he stared up at the gaze of Colonel Curtiss from where he sat. His nerves might get the better of him, especially after all the stories he had heard about this guy.

Before this, when he had been awoken, Anise helped him to an area with trees and leaned him against it. She gave him some water, which he drank gratefully but he was considerate. He drank only enough to get rid of the lump in his throat before giving it back to her. No one offered to heal him and he wondered if they even had a healer among them. The Fon Master insisted that Anise, at least, give him an apple gel, which helped with most of the pain he was feeling. He still felt an ache all over his body and he knew he wasn't completely healed, but it was enough so that he wouldn't pass out again.

That had been twenty minutes ago.

Now he was being interrogated.

"You're an Oracle Knight. Your division was one of the few that attacked the Tartarus." This wasn't a question—it was a statement. Gerard couldn't keep his eyes locked with the Colonel any long and he glanced toward the ground. He swallowed, but could not say anything to argue. They were already aware of who he was and where he had been.

"Colonel, please." Gerard didn't have to look to know that this was the Fon Master. The boy was very soft-spoken, something he had noted whenever he was around him. "I know that you feel that we shouldn't have aided him, but Gerard is a good soldier and was following orders."

He felt ashamed that he had to have Master Ion, of all people, defend him. He should be able to do that himself!

"Yeah! Plus, Reyna knows him too!" Anise piped up, causing him to look up toward her.

The other female in the group, one that had to be from the Order given her clothes, spoke. "Perhaps it would be safe to leave him until he is found his fellow Knights."

"He would still be a liability. He would have seen us and know which direction we headed." Jade countered back and it obviously made sense. This man was of war, knowing what had to be done when they had an enemy in their hands.

Gerard could feel his shoulders slump at the idea of him possibly being killed. What could he even say in his defense and what would he even do if he could convince them to let him live? Master Ion looked troubled, but had nothing else to say as did Anise. Truthfully, they were the only two that would argue his case, which was pretty sad when one thought about it. They were, essentially, children. Added to that, from what he could see and understood, the Fon Master was safe and didn't appeared hurt or even seemed kidnapped for that matter.

Had his superiors lied to him? Had...Commander Largo lied to him? He always knew that his duty to the Order, his division, and Commander were important but he always knew that the duty he had always put first in his mind was to the Fon Master. Because when Gerard looked at Master Ion, he saw all the good he had in him, almost like he embodied it for all of humanity and that was all he had needed.

"Second Lieutenant Oracle Knight, Gerard Kartlon. I am in the first division under the command of Commander Largo." As all of their attention turned on him, it took all of his will power not to falter. "My duty has always mattered to me. I have always held loyalty to the Order of Lorelei, but for the Fon Master, I would gladly lay down my life for him."

Hadn't that also what he had been doing? Hadn't he been told they were saving the Fon Master from Malkuth's hands?

_'Was it all lies?'_

The one to break the silence was the blond male. "So, would you be willing to fight your fellow Oracle Knights for him?"

Gerard turned to meet the blue gaze of said blond, not surprised by the question. He was certain that he hadn't meant to be mean or rude by the question and he could see this question in the eyes of the others. Could he fight his fellow Knights? Could he fight those he had trained with everyday for the past ten years? He felt that he _would_ hesitate if it came to that and he was uncertain he wouldn't want to run back to their side the moment they met.

They were people.

But so had been the people on the Tartarus.

"I would be." Gerard finally answered back, his voice steady.

The Colonel turned his head toward the road, a spear materializing in his hand. The others turned as well and that was when Gerard heard the sound of clinking armor. "Oh dear. Looks like we've run out of time to chat."

Seeing Oracle Knights appear, Gerard tensed up. The thoughts he had before came back at him with full force and he hated the fact that he just...couldn't. He couldn't do that, could he? They had become his family after everything that had happen with his father. Even after his mother and sister left Daath, they had been there for him.

Was it luck that these Knights weren't from his division? He could tell from the designs on their tabards that they were from the third division, but would that make any of this easier on him?

The group readied themselves. Anise was quick to place herself in front of Master Ion as did the other female. Two of the males went straight into the battle, but the other one, the male with the red hair, a...cheagle, he believed, by him, seemed to hesitate. The soldier couldn't help but wonder why.

He made an attempt to stand with the battle already underway. He clutched his side as he watched people he likely knew being taken down. The Colonel easily defended himself again two Knights while the blond was quick and agile, finishing off one and heading toward another. Anise, at this point, let her doll take size and sent a Knight flying while the other female slashed her bladed staff at another, killing him. Gerard moved his hand to feel the dagger inside of his shirt.

Did he dare use it?

There wasn't many left and he could easily get away from killing any of his fellow comrades. The thought of their blood on his hands caused him to shaking his head.

In the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of something. He blinked and already knew that this was bad the moment he saw the red-haired boy frozen in spot, unable to draw his weapon and enter into the battle. It wasn't likely to be the same reasons as he, but Gerard knew that this boy _had_ to fight or else-

"You won't get away!" His head snapped to see an Knight taking a chance to attack at the boy's hesitation.

Gerard was already moving before he was even aware of what might happen. He reached inside and pulled out the dagger, feeling a burst of adrenaline kick in. The boy let out a yelp while he tried to move backwards in a vain attempt to get away and dodge the attack. It would do him no good and Gerard knew he had to reach him before that. He had to reach them before the boy was killed. He didn't know if he would make it in time or if anyone else was even aware, but his grip on his weapon tighten.

Before he reached the Knight, he saw someone place themselves in front of the red-haired boy, protecting him just as the blade came slashing toward them.

The next thing he became aware of was the dagger finding its way into the neck of his fellow Oracle Knight. They all knew, the Knights that is, that were was a slim opening between the helmet and their armor where their neck was exposed. They had always doubted anyone would be able to do anything since that would require close combat, but here he was. Dagger in hand and using that previous knowledge to kill a comrade. He heard a gurgle and he was sure that blood had splattered on him. Not much, but enough fro him to realize what had down.

He pulled back as the soldier fell to the ground, dying or dead. He didn't know and didn't care to know.

Something gnawed in his stomach and Gerard knew it wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

_'Dammit...'_

"Tear...I..." Finally, Gerard turned his eyes to the redhead, watching as he stared at the other female, Tear he assumed, while he found himself at a loss for words. Tear was on the ground, holding her arm where the soldier had gotten her, seeing the blood. He also saw that the Knight had also gotten her side as well.

"Idiot." She muttered before she went still. Thankfully, she was still breathing. The Colonel and the others rushed over with Anise quickly going to her side while the redhead could only continue to stare. The blond male tried to help him stand, but that seemed to be pretty difficult at the moment.

He turned away from the scene as he returned to the body of the Oracle Knight.

'_I just killed him. I killed...'_

It was his fault that this soldier was dead, that his friends, family, any lover he might have had, would never be able to see him again. If the others weren't around, he might have sank to the ground and just do...nothing. He wanted to think that he would yell or cry or do something at having killed a former comrade, but he just felt nothing.

It was only when he felt someone touch his arm that he realized he couldn't shut down. He wasn't allowed to, not now.

Gerard turned to meet the kind, gentle, and understanding gaze of Fon Master Ion. He didn't even have to say anything as the soldier nodded his head and walked toward the group.

**.**

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**.**

The very least he could say was that he was more trusted than he had been prior to the fight. Gerard wasn't sure if he liked that or not. Regardless, what mattered was that the group needed him and thus, he wouldn't be killed. At least, not at the moment. That kind of thought left him a bit uneasy though...

Gerard glanced at the two people near him, Luke and Guy. He wasn't trusted enough to go get wood for the fire by himself and thus, it fell on these two to go with him. Luke, the redhead from earlier, was staring off into space. Guy, the blond, had caught this and seemed worried.

Taking this as a chance to get to know them better and quell his mind from his earlier thought, he approached the boy. "Luke?"

He must have been out of it because Luke jumped and quickly said, "W-What?!"

"It might help if you focus on the task at hand rather than what happen earlier." He offered, a small smile on his face. From what he was able to pick up, Luke was a civilian. He just couldn't tell why he was with this group. They hadn't let that slip and he doubted anyone would tell him just yet.

"Whatever..." Luke rolled his eyes and shrugged, turning his back on Gerard and got back to work.

"Master, we should focus so we can get a lot of wood!" The cheagle spoke, which still surprised Gerard, even now. His name was Mieu, apparently.

Luke groaned, trying to, but failing, to ignore the cheagle.. "Shut up Thing."

Well...there was that. He turned to Guy and caught his gaze. He offered the soldier a good-natured smile and a casual shrug. Gerard sighed and shook his head. Maybe this was progress and he just didn't know it. Maybe this was just Luke's way of dealing with what happened to Tear.

They had all just finished gathering small bundles of sticks and other things to burn when Luke gave his attention to Gerard once more. "Hey, Knight-person."

"He's an Oracle Knight, Luke." Guy corrected, though he seemed interested that Luke was talking to Gerard.

"Yeah, yeah." There was a pause before his expression turned to confusion. "You...kill one."

Once again, Gerard and Guy met each other's gazes before the solider answered the redhead. "Another Oracle Knight, you mean?"

Luke nodded his head. "He was your friend, right?"

"No, not exactly. He was another soldier from another division." His soft brown eyes lowered to the ground. "That doesn't mean I wasn't around him every day or even hung out with him a few times. We may have even shared a meal more than once. So in a sense, I knew him. Better yet, I knew of him."

"It doesn't bother you that he was human?" The redhead asked while Mieu landed on his shoulder, which he didn't seem to mind at this moment.

That guy had been human, after all. A human that was doing his duty, but then what about him? Did he _have_ to kill him? Did he have to be the one to end his life?

In the corner of his eye, he saw Guy speak up. "Luke, that's not a fair question to ask him after..."

_'After I killed him.'_ Gerard thought, taking a deep breath before he decided to speak, to give the redhead an answer. "Luke, I don't know you or what you've been through. I can't say what it would be like for everyone, but it _was_ very difficult for me. In the end, though, I made my decision and I have to deal with it. I think that even if I was given the choice for a redo, I would do the exact same thing."

"Why?"

Gerard smiled. "I couldn't see you killed for your hesitation."

Silence followed and while it felt kind of awkward, it wasn't the bad kind of awkward. Which Gerard took as a good sign as Guy mentioned they should probably head back. Luke mumbled something before flinging Mieu off his shoulder as he took to Guy's side while Gerard lagged behind. It wasn't the most delightful conversation but he took it and answered as best as he could.

When they arrived back, Tear had finished mending her wounds and Anise had patched her clothes up best as she could but they had little privacy for someone to sew it up or the tools to do that. Fixing it would to wait until they arrived at St. Binah. Jade and Master Ion were talking, but upon their arrival, they group turned their attention back to them. Anise was quick to jump up and head over to Luke, displaying an odd sort of fawning over him. A joke or two was exchanged while everyone did their part to set up camp for the night.

Everyone except him.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to help out or wait until someone said something to him. It wasn't until Jade made his way over that Gerard realized they hadn't really settled the matter at hand. What were they going to do with him? Thankfully, Master Ion was with him as well. It put him more at ease as he asked, "I hope it's good news and you're not going to tie me up to leave me to fend for myself."

The Colonel adjusted his glasses as he answered. "A very tempting idea, but no, we won't be tying you up. Your concern for Ion seems genuine."

"I discussed it with Jade and you're allowed to travel with us. Along with Anise, you'll act as a guard for me." The Fon Master added, seemingly glad at this outcome.

Gerard nodded. "Alright. I graciously accept."

With that out of the way, Gerard slowly made himself useful but helping Anise out and though he offered to take watch, they told him he was still recovering himself. Tear had offered to heal him, which he accepted. The apple gel had helped, but being healed definitely ease the tension he didn't even realize he had. He thanked her and she told him that it was fine.

Everyone, excluding the first watch, settled down for sleep.

Dawn approached and Gerard found himself walking up when someone shook him lightly. He saw Anise and she pointed toward the Colonel, who was waking Guy up. Tear was already awake, but she had been the last one to take watch. She made her way over to Luke, who was still asleep.

Giving his attention back to Anise, he said, "We're leaving, right?"

"Yup. The Colonel did want to get an early start." She replied back as he began to pull himself up from the ground. "I need to go wake Ion up."

With Anise attending to the Fon Master, Gerard decided to make his way over the Guy and the Colonel. Nodding at them, he asked, "So what's the plan?"

"We'll form a diamond formation around Ion and Luke." He glanced toward said redhead as Tear woke him up. If they were going with that, then that would definitely be easier on him. "I do hope we can rely on you, Gerard."

The brunet met the Colonel's gaze and nodded his head. "Of course."

**.**

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**.**

"Shh, be quiet you two!" Tear hissed at Luke and Anise while the group remained crouched in the back of this caravan. Gerard felt like a criminal doing so, but they couldn't go walking in. The place was blocked off by Oracle Knights. Unfortunately, he didn't see which division it was either.

Luke was pouting now, having been reprehended by Tear while Anise pushed herself closer to said redhead and whispered, "Luke, I'm so scared. What will happen if we get caught?"

Gerard wanted to roll his eyes, he really did. Taking a glimpse at the Fon Master, who was on the other side of Anise, he saw that Master Ion simply had a small smile on his face. He just couldn't understand why the leader of the Order would let one of his Guardians blatantly flirt like that while they were trying to sneak their way into St. Binah. He definitely knew that Reyna would not be happy and would have definitely given Anise more than just a few words.

Though he wanted to say something himself, the look Tear gave the Guardian spoke volumes. In return, the girl just smiled sweetly at her before wrapping her arms around Luke's. In return, Luke didn't look all that impressed and tried to pull away from her. Gerard let out a soft sigh as the caravan stopped.

The woman in front, Rose as they had called her, spoke. "We're from Engeve. One wagon should have already arrived."

Gerard kind of wondered what the relationship the group had with Rose since she had so readily agreed to help them.

"Right, go on in." The soldier froze, knowing that voice. It was one of his comrades from his division. Then that meant the first division was here! Did that mean Commander Largo was here? Would he...would he have to turn his back on him too?

Rose thanked the Knight and the wagon started to move once more. It wasn't until the wagon came to a complete stop and the woman came around the other end that they knew they were good. Glad at this, everyone made their way off, appreciating the fact that they weren't all cramped together anymore.

"Well, this is where we'll have to part ways." Rose said with a smile on her face. Gerard was glad that she had helped since it meant they avoided a confrontation with the Knights.

"Thank you so much for your help." Master Ion said with a small bow while Tear offered her thanks as well as the other excluding Guy and himself. Not because they weren't thankful, but Gerard hadn't been there when they met this woman and apparently, neither had he.

Once Rose had left, they all gathered around as Luke asked, "So Reyna's here, right?"

Gerard hoped she was. He wasn't about to be as he while he had seen her on the Tartarus, but he still wanted to know. It was obvious that she hadn't kidnapped the Fon Master and that Malkuth wasn't holding him against Daath. The question was…what was going on in Daath and with the Order?

But the question that continued to burn in the back of his mind was why? Why hadn't she trusted him and tell him what she was doing. He knew Reyna liked to keep to herself, but she had come to rely on him and, especially, her Guardians. Was it too much to ask that she have a little bit more faith in him?

"She is to rendezvous with us at the Malkuth military base." The Colonel replied back, adding, "If she's still alive, that is."

Luke, in turn, rolled his eyes. "Do you really have to say things like that?"

Before Gerard could speak, bringing up that Reyna _was_ alive, Tear crossed her arms and said to Luke. "Don't do anything to draw the attention of the Oracle Knights."

"I know, I know. Jeez, you don't have to tell me _every_ little thing." retorted Luke, looking a little peeved.

Gerard decided to leave it be. There was no sense in arguing whether Reyna was alive or not. He glanced at Anise, which caught her attention and she gave him a smile, indicating that she believe that Reyna, too, was alive.

"Mmm." Guy mused, a small smile forming on his lips as he looked between Tear and Luke. "She's already got you whipped, Luke? Princess Natalia is going to be jealous."

This sparked something inside of Gerard as he turned his attention to Luke. Princess Natalia was the princess of Kimlasca. He remembered letters from his sister as she spoke very fondly of the princess. And if the Knight remembered correctly, the princess has a fiancé.

Wasn't his name—

"Uahh!"

Tensing, Gerard snapped his attention to the blond and to his surprise, Tear had her arms wrapped around one of Guy's. The strange thing, though, was that he was trembling violently but Tear didn't appear to be doing anything was actually threatening.

In a calm and cool manner, she said, "Don't say stupid things."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Stop touching me, please!" Guy replied, nodding vigorously.

Confused, he turned toward Anise, who was snickering. "What just happen?"

"Guy has a thing against women." She answered back, a grin on her face.

"A phobia would be the correct term, Anise." Jade added, which caused the girl to pout.

"Booo."

The Fon Master smiled. "Maybe this journey will help Guy overcome his phobia."

"Can we go now?" Luke complained, looking around like they were wasting time.

"I'm going to take Ion to the inn so he can rest a bit." replied Anise before she turned toward the other female in the group. "Tear, I can fix that rip in your uniform now, if you want."

Tear nodded her head. "Yes, that would be a good idea. Thank you, Anise."

"I suppose that means we'll have to take it upon ourselves to go the the base then." Jade said, sighing as he did so. It almost seemed like a tedious task to him.

Gerard raised a brow at this before glancing at Anise. It wasn't like he didn't want to go, but Anise was the only person he really knew out this group. He had never met Tear before this and the Fon Master and him weren't friends or close in any sort of manner.

Guy was friendly though and Luke didn't seem to dislike him. The Colonel wasn't too bad. Besides, if he went with the men, then he would be able to meet Reyna.

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's go already!"

They were just about to part ways when Mieu came floating around to stare at Luke. "Master! Can I go with Tear?"

"Ughh! I don't care!" The redhead made a swipe at the creature, causing it to fly toward the girls and Master Ion.

"Luke!" Tear started to chastising as Gerard shook his head.

After that, the group split into two and left.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the base. The Colonel quickly identified himself and requested to see General Glenn McGovern and soon they were being led into the building. Gerard looking around, having never really been to St. Binah before, much less the Malkuth base.

Upon entering a room, Gerard caught the tail end of a conversation about the Oracle Knights and their status as Scorers. Technically, even _he_ was considered one despite his inability to read the Score. This was more a of technicality. He actually remembered learning about this in one of his history lessons back way when. Mostly, the reason the Knights were considered Scorers was because that gave them power, which they needed where they were out on missions. Sometimes, a governing force in a town or city usually got in the way of an investigate and unless they had orders from their ruler, they weren't supposed to get in the way of an Order mission or investigate.

It was actually a lot more complicated too, but Gerard probably wouldn't have been able to explain it well if asked.

The Colonel apologized for interrupting the two gentlemen, which after listening to the conversation, he figured out the two of the men were related—father and son.

"Is Jade someone important?" Luke whispered to Guy.

Guy watched the conversation between the three older men. "Sounds like it."

"You and His Majesty go way back, don't you? Could you ask him to do something about the Oracle Knights?" This came from Elder McGovern.

"I'm afraid they're here because of us. Once we leave, they should leave as well." Jade answered back.

Elder McGovern shook his head. "That Guardian said something similar..."

Gerard perked at this but stopped. Where was Reyna then...?

"Colonel Curtiss, what business do have here?" General McGovern asked, not pleased with this conversation for whatever reason.

The Colonel sighed. "Ah, yes, my apologies. Have you received any letters from the Fon Master Guardian your father mentioned?"

_'Reyna...'_

"Ah, that...I'm sorry but we opened it after she finished writing it. For security reasons, you understand."

"That's fine." Colonel Curtiss said. "There shouldn't be anything in there that would be a problem for you to see."

The letter in his hand, the Colonel quickly read it over before handing it over to the rest of them to look over. Gerard leaned in and read:

_Jade  
>I made to this location as planned. However, it seems that St. Binah<br>will be closed off soon. I doubt I will be able to stay here for much  
>longer. I will proceed to the next location. Please continue to watch<br>over the Fon Master and give my condolences to Anise.  
>-Reyna<em>

"So she's not here..." Gerard muttered to himself as Luke handed the letter back to the Colonel. It looked like he had just missed Reyna again. He was so close to seeing her too. Shaking his head, he turned toward the Colonel. "Where is the next location?"

"Kaitzur. It's a city southwest of here, on the other side of the Fubras river."

Guy crossed his arms and appeared thoughtful. "Kaitzur, huh? It'll be a two day's journey, right? And don't we have to cross a bridge?"

Two days, huh? He supposed that wasn't too bad.

"So we should get ready then?" Gerard asked, staring the the three others.

Luke let out a groan. "Can't we rest a while? I'm sick of sleeping on the ground."

The Colonel smiled. "Ah yes. I forget young Master Luke needs his beauty sleep."

"Hey!"

Gerard rolled his eyes as Colonel Curtiss turned to the McGoverns. "Well then, we'll bid you our leave."

**.**

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x****.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

**.**

The last day and a half had been frustrating. Reyna had been traveling to Kaitzur and made it to the bridge that had been mentioned on a map that she found in Alex's satchel. However, it appeared that the bridge had been taken out by the river because of flooding. A man with a cart had been there as well and offered to take her back to but she declined. She asked if there was any other way to Kaitzur and he told her that if she headed a way back and headed further southwest, she could find a way to cross the Fubras river.

He did warn her that it would be danger, with monsters and wild animals. She thanked him and heeded his advice. It wouldn't be the monsters or anything of that sort that would be the problem however.

Backtracking hadn't been too bad and when she arrived, she saw that the river was shallow enough for her to cross. In fact, she was certain that it wouldn't come up to her knees, which was all that mattered.

A cry brought her from her thoughts as a monster lunged at her. She reacted and dodged the beast before taking a few moments to take it out. Her eyes went back to the river and figured she'd be fighting more and would have to get used to splashing through some of the water. It shouldn't be too bad though. Reyna certainly thought she could make it through this.

It took her an hour, but she was nearly across. Her shoes were wet and she had used quite a bit of energy to take care of some of the monsters. Reyna would have honestly liked it better to have had someone else with her, but circumstances dictated otherwise. They weren't hard to fight again, these creatures, but in a group, it was a little more difficult. She had to use an apple gel on a wound she had gotten when one of the stupid things bit her.

Once on the other side, it was nearing evening. She was tired and even though she knew she could keep pushing herself, she needed sleep.

Reyna searched around, trying to find an area she could set up camp early. Thankfully, she found an empty cavern. Small and not much room to move around in, it still was better than any other. She could tell nothing had stayed in this place for a few weeks and it was hidden away behind some foliage. She still had some of the stuff in that bottle too, so it might be an good idea to eat a quick meal and head to bed early. It would be nice to get a full night's sleep.

She ate, made a small fire to keep warm, and used the last bit of holy bottle at the entrance. With that, any monster that came by would be put off by the smell. Reyna would have to remember to pay back Alex somehow. These weren't expensive, but they weren't cheap either. Usually, traveling merchants sold them and those guys didn't stay in one place for too long. Anyway, she would find a way to let Alex know that this had helped her greatly.

Settling in, Reyna found herself drifting off to sleep.

Only to be awaken hours later? Honestly, she wasn't certain, but she was still groggy. What had woken her up took her a minute to realize. Voices that were close by and speaking loudly. Reyna checked the fire, which was out, before she crept slowly over to the entrance of the cavern. She peeked out, seeing a large group of people moving about. She couldn't tell if they were bandits or something worse. At least they weren't Oracle Knights.

Hurrying back to get her supplies, she moved back to the entrance and was about to carefully make her way out when someone grabbed her through the foliage.

She reacted, pushing herself forward and into the other person. Twisting herself around, she tried to propel her foot upward to hit the person in the face. She missed and her leg was grabbed instead, spinning her around and letting her go. Reyna meant to turn right side up and land right but her body hit one of the rock formations. She let out a grunt before rolling out of the way. Reyna meant to escape, to run far away of these guys, and not look back when her body collided into another person and a yep escaped said person.

Reyna actually cursed but moved to stand when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her shoulder. Again, she rolled, ignoring the pain, and tried to run.

Only, she fell over after a few moments, unable to move. She panicked, uncertain what had happened. The Guardian tried to struggle, to move, thinking it might be some weird fonic arte, but no! It must be something else. She moved her head to the side as she found the group converging on her. What the hell was even happening? Who were these people? They couldn't just be simple bandits, could they?

Someone approached, bending down to grab her chin and have her look at...him. He had a scruffy-looking beard, the color matching his tawny hair. She glared him, his silver eyes taking her in full. He scoffed at her, shrugging as he did so before leaving her and standing. "She'll do. Tie her up and get ready to move out. We need to be back Chesedonia."

Her blood ran cold. They couldn't be!

They were slave-traders!

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> BAM! Another update! Let me tell you, having a different point of view made all the difference. It was nice to have Gerard come back into the story. I missed him and the other dearly. Funny enough, the last bit with Reyna was giving me a lot of trouble, but I hope this doesn't remain the case. But yeah! That's two updates within the week and within the month. I hope to get more done within March because the ideas I've been having lately are inspiring me, so he's to doing more than one update a week for March and until I'm caught up!

Again, more changes to this chapter, especially with Reyna's. I cut it down because of lot of her freaking out about the water was kind of pointless and out of character for her as she's developed. So that's why it's a shorter than the original. Gerard's POV was expanded as well. Heads up though, I'll be switching around events so instead of a Reyna POV for next chapter, you'll be getting Gerard's!

Anyway, any reviews help and thanks to the people that recently added this to their favorites!

**Chapter 11: Chasing A Friend- **Gerard and the group leave St. Binah after resting, gathering supplies, and meeting a certain red-haired female. While the others strive to make it to Kaitzur to meet up with Reyna, Gerard's mind is on the choice between his friend and his duty. When the group is caught by miasma and the girl titled with the Wild, is fate out to get him?


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